🔗 Share this article Keith Baker along with Keith Baker Will Lead Classes at DMU Since 2018, Tabletop Vacations has been running immersive events where professional dungeon masters run D&D games in historic castles in Britain and at Landoll’s Mohican Castle. The comprehensive packages are especially popular among career game masters who rarely get the opportunity to actually play themselves, and they often look for guidance from the pros on topics ranging from improvisation and creating challenges to dealing with tough scenarios at the table. In response, the planners began developing a organized method to answer these inquiries, which led to the creation of DMU. The inaugural event is set for January 2-3, 2026 at a university in Atlanta. “There are numerous digital guides on virtually any subject and acquire valuable insights, but the idea was that nothing compares to face-to-face interaction together with fellow DMs, where there’s live engagement with faculty instructors and other game masters likely in comparable situations and aim to enhance their abilities,” noted Jason Carl. Workshop Options and Cost Levels Game masters can choose from packages ranging from $995 to $2.5K, according to the amount of contact they desire with the professionals. The base tier includes one of four courses: Foundational Skills: Focuses on the fundamentals of managing a session. Story Arc Development: Centers on building persistent adventures. Setting Creation: Highlights the crafting of environments. Professional Development: Tailored to dungeon masters who want to learn more about the gaming industry. Every class includes two days of instruction split over 48 hours. “The courses are designed so that you walk away with immediate practical outcomes, enhanced belief in your abilities, and numerous applicable methods,” Carl noted. “It's more than presentations and they go beyond recorded content. These classes that you can attend, gain knowledge from, and then head back to your table the following week and apply in your home campaign.” Expert Instructors The majority of workshops are taught by duo of instructors. Universe creation is guided by an industry veteran and a renowned campaign designer, together instructing the skill of universe design. Industry advancement includes several experts, such as Elisa Teague, Clint McElroy, and an early professional game master. The extra instructors is meant to deliver focused advice to students with particular aims. “Some of them plan to create their own real-play series and display their adventures with the world, others want to publish and create new material,” Carl said. “Several only seek to ask, How do I get to be a DM at something like an immersive experience? Which abilities that I need? Is it for everyone?” Premium Packages A fifteen hundred dollar enhanced option offers access to a welcome reception, a starter kit, and a 30-minute office hour appointment with a teacher. This represents the debut of the program, though the organizers has previously run comparable workshops during breaks between game sessions at their premium gatherings. “You could almost run an complete event just on office hours for professional dungeon masters,” Carl said. “I don’t know if that’s the most effective utilization of all participants' schedule – I believe the structured learning and the practical exercises is highly beneficial – but I suspect it’s going to be among the most sought-after parts of the program.” The twenty-five hundred dollar premium option offers an 60-minute private session and the opportunity to manage an adventure for five players plus a teacher, who will then provide notes and instruction. “The goal is for the teacher to evaluate whichever aspect is focused on: I struggle with improv or I get blocked in this kind of combat situation. May I present a scenario for you and obtain advice on my areas of proficiency and challenge?” Carl detailed. “Perhaps they want to obtain critique and advice on a specific world that they’ve been developing.” Next Steps Input from the inaugural session will help determine future Dungeon Master University sessions. Carl mentioned that possible changes could include adding more office hours, extending the program to a longer period, or trying out alternative workshop formats. “I hope that we host such events very often,” Carl said. “I truly hope to see several DMU sessions in a single year, in multiple places, and in different countries. The response has been extremely positive. We're quite pleased with what we’re seeing and I feel it would be fantastic to be able to organize these in collaboration with big conventions.”
Since 2018, Tabletop Vacations has been running immersive events where professional dungeon masters run D&D games in historic castles in Britain and at Landoll’s Mohican Castle. The comprehensive packages are especially popular among career game masters who rarely get the opportunity to actually play themselves, and they often look for guidance from the pros on topics ranging from improvisation and creating challenges to dealing with tough scenarios at the table. In response, the planners began developing a organized method to answer these inquiries, which led to the creation of DMU. The inaugural event is set for January 2-3, 2026 at a university in Atlanta. “There are numerous digital guides on virtually any subject and acquire valuable insights, but the idea was that nothing compares to face-to-face interaction together with fellow DMs, where there’s live engagement with faculty instructors and other game masters likely in comparable situations and aim to enhance their abilities,” noted Jason Carl. Workshop Options and Cost Levels Game masters can choose from packages ranging from $995 to $2.5K, according to the amount of contact they desire with the professionals. The base tier includes one of four courses: Foundational Skills: Focuses on the fundamentals of managing a session. Story Arc Development: Centers on building persistent adventures. Setting Creation: Highlights the crafting of environments. Professional Development: Tailored to dungeon masters who want to learn more about the gaming industry. Every class includes two days of instruction split over 48 hours. “The courses are designed so that you walk away with immediate practical outcomes, enhanced belief in your abilities, and numerous applicable methods,” Carl noted. “It's more than presentations and they go beyond recorded content. These classes that you can attend, gain knowledge from, and then head back to your table the following week and apply in your home campaign.” Expert Instructors The majority of workshops are taught by duo of instructors. Universe creation is guided by an industry veteran and a renowned campaign designer, together instructing the skill of universe design. Industry advancement includes several experts, such as Elisa Teague, Clint McElroy, and an early professional game master. The extra instructors is meant to deliver focused advice to students with particular aims. “Some of them plan to create their own real-play series and display their adventures with the world, others want to publish and create new material,” Carl said. “Several only seek to ask, How do I get to be a DM at something like an immersive experience? Which abilities that I need? Is it for everyone?” Premium Packages A fifteen hundred dollar enhanced option offers access to a welcome reception, a starter kit, and a 30-minute office hour appointment with a teacher. This represents the debut of the program, though the organizers has previously run comparable workshops during breaks between game sessions at their premium gatherings. “You could almost run an complete event just on office hours for professional dungeon masters,” Carl said. “I don’t know if that’s the most effective utilization of all participants' schedule – I believe the structured learning and the practical exercises is highly beneficial – but I suspect it’s going to be among the most sought-after parts of the program.” The twenty-five hundred dollar premium option offers an 60-minute private session and the opportunity to manage an adventure for five players plus a teacher, who will then provide notes and instruction. “The goal is for the teacher to evaluate whichever aspect is focused on: I struggle with improv or I get blocked in this kind of combat situation. May I present a scenario for you and obtain advice on my areas of proficiency and challenge?” Carl detailed. “Perhaps they want to obtain critique and advice on a specific world that they’ve been developing.” Next Steps Input from the inaugural session will help determine future Dungeon Master University sessions. Carl mentioned that possible changes could include adding more office hours, extending the program to a longer period, or trying out alternative workshop formats. “I hope that we host such events very often,” Carl said. “I truly hope to see several DMU sessions in a single year, in multiple places, and in different countries. The response has been extremely positive. We're quite pleased with what we’re seeing and I feel it would be fantastic to be able to organize these in collaboration with big conventions.”