🔗 Share this article Keith Baker and Keith Baker Are Teaching Workshops at DMU Beginning in 2018, Tabletop Vacations has been organizing immersive events where expert DMs run Dungeons & Dragons games in ancient fortresses in the UK and at an American castle venue. The comprehensive packages are widely appreciated among forever DMs who infrequently find the opportunity to join in the game themselves, and they often ask for tips from seasoned professionals on topics ranging from improv and creating challenges to managing conflicts at the table. In response, the organizers began developing a structured way to tackle these topics, which led to the establishment of DMU. The debut workshop is scheduled for early January 2026 at a university in Atlanta. “It's possible to view thousands of YouTube videos on almost every theme and gain significant knowledge, but the philosophy was that there’s just no substitute an in-person experience together with peers in game mastering, where direct communication with expert teachers and other game masters likely in a similar position and seek to level up their game,” noted the program's dean. Course Offerings and Ticket Packages Dungeon Masters can opt for tiers ranging from just under $1,000 to two thousand five hundred dollars, according to the level of access they desire with the professionals. The base tier includes a choice of four workshops: Core Techniques: Covers the essentials of leading a game. Story Arc Development: Centers on crafting long-running games. Setting Creation: Highlights the development of worlds. Career Building: Aimed at game masters who aim to explore more about the tabletop profession. Each course includes two days of instruction spread over a weekend. “The classes are designed so that you depart having immediate practical outcomes, increased self-assurance, and numerous applicable methods,” Carl noted. “These aren't simple talks and they’re not just static videos. These classes that you can attend, absorb insights from, and then head back to your table the week after and put into practice in your local game.” Professional Teachers Many sessions are led by two professors. Worldbuilding is taught by Monte Cook and a renowned campaign designer, both teaching the craft of setting creation. Industry advancement includes four different teachers, such as Elisa Teague, an entertainment professional, and a pioneering DM. The additional faculty is designed to offer targeted guidance to participants with specific goals. “Some of them aim to start their own real-play series and present their narratives with the world, some of them aim to release and write original content,” Carl stated. “Others simply wish to ask, What's the path to be a DM at an event like a castle event? Which abilities that I need? Is this achievable?” Premium Packages A fifteen hundred dollar premium package offers access to a opening gathering, a welcome gift pack, and a brief one-on-one appointment with one of the faculty. This constitutes the inaugural DMU session, though the organizers has previously run comparable workshops during breaks between campaigns at their premium gatherings. “You could almost run an entire weekend just on office hours for professional dungeon masters,” Carl observed. “It's unclear if that’s the most effective utilization of everybody’s time – I believe the structured learning and the practical exercises is highly beneficial – but I believe it’s going to be among the most sought-after parts of the program.” The twenty-five hundred dollar top package includes an hour of one-on-one time and the chance to lead a session for several participants plus one of the faculty members, who will then offer feedback and guidance. “The aim is for the instructor to evaluate any element is focused on: Hey I don’t do well with improv or I feel stuck in certain battle scenarios. Can I run a scenario for you and get feedback on my areas of proficiency and challenge?” Carl explained. “Or maybe they want to receive input and advice on a specific world that they’ve been creating.” Coming Developments Feedback from the first event will help determine upcoming academy workshops. Carl said that possible changes could include adding more office hours, lengthening the event to 72 hours, or experimenting with alternative workshop formats. “I expect that we conduct these frequently,” Carl expressed. “I would love to see several DMU sessions in a single year, in different cities, and in various nations. The reception has been really terrific. We're extremely satisfied with current developments and I feel it would be wonderful to be able to organize these in collaboration with large gatherings.”
Beginning in 2018, Tabletop Vacations has been organizing immersive events where expert DMs run Dungeons & Dragons games in ancient fortresses in the UK and at an American castle venue. The comprehensive packages are widely appreciated among forever DMs who infrequently find the opportunity to join in the game themselves, and they often ask for tips from seasoned professionals on topics ranging from improv and creating challenges to managing conflicts at the table. In response, the organizers began developing a structured way to tackle these topics, which led to the establishment of DMU. The debut workshop is scheduled for early January 2026 at a university in Atlanta. “It's possible to view thousands of YouTube videos on almost every theme and gain significant knowledge, but the philosophy was that there’s just no substitute an in-person experience together with peers in game mastering, where direct communication with expert teachers and other game masters likely in a similar position and seek to level up their game,” noted the program's dean. Course Offerings and Ticket Packages Dungeon Masters can opt for tiers ranging from just under $1,000 to two thousand five hundred dollars, according to the level of access they desire with the professionals. The base tier includes a choice of four workshops: Core Techniques: Covers the essentials of leading a game. Story Arc Development: Centers on crafting long-running games. Setting Creation: Highlights the development of worlds. Career Building: Aimed at game masters who aim to explore more about the tabletop profession. Each course includes two days of instruction spread over a weekend. “The classes are designed so that you depart having immediate practical outcomes, increased self-assurance, and numerous applicable methods,” Carl noted. “These aren't simple talks and they’re not just static videos. These classes that you can attend, absorb insights from, and then head back to your table the week after and put into practice in your local game.” Professional Teachers Many sessions are led by two professors. Worldbuilding is taught by Monte Cook and a renowned campaign designer, both teaching the craft of setting creation. Industry advancement includes four different teachers, such as Elisa Teague, an entertainment professional, and a pioneering DM. The additional faculty is designed to offer targeted guidance to participants with specific goals. “Some of them aim to start their own real-play series and present their narratives with the world, some of them aim to release and write original content,” Carl stated. “Others simply wish to ask, What's the path to be a DM at an event like a castle event? Which abilities that I need? Is this achievable?” Premium Packages A fifteen hundred dollar premium package offers access to a opening gathering, a welcome gift pack, and a brief one-on-one appointment with one of the faculty. This constitutes the inaugural DMU session, though the organizers has previously run comparable workshops during breaks between campaigns at their premium gatherings. “You could almost run an entire weekend just on office hours for professional dungeon masters,” Carl observed. “It's unclear if that’s the most effective utilization of everybody’s time – I believe the structured learning and the practical exercises is highly beneficial – but I believe it’s going to be among the most sought-after parts of the program.” The twenty-five hundred dollar top package includes an hour of one-on-one time and the chance to lead a session for several participants plus one of the faculty members, who will then offer feedback and guidance. “The aim is for the instructor to evaluate any element is focused on: Hey I don’t do well with improv or I feel stuck in certain battle scenarios. Can I run a scenario for you and get feedback on my areas of proficiency and challenge?” Carl explained. “Or maybe they want to receive input and advice on a specific world that they’ve been creating.” Coming Developments Feedback from the first event will help determine upcoming academy workshops. Carl said that possible changes could include adding more office hours, lengthening the event to 72 hours, or experimenting with alternative workshop formats. “I expect that we conduct these frequently,” Carl expressed. “I would love to see several DMU sessions in a single year, in different cities, and in various nations. The reception has been really terrific. We're extremely satisfied with current developments and I feel it would be wonderful to be able to organize these in collaboration with large gatherings.”