Track Four · Ages 15+ · By Application
DM Apprentice
More than learning to run a game — learning to read the people at the table. Apprentices work alongside their own age group, study the players they'll be facilitating, and run Friday sessions for those same peers under Michael's direct supervision.
How It Works
DM Apprentice runs alongside the Senior Guild or Evening Council. Apprentices spend Wednesday and Thursday learning the craft and studying the players they'll serve — then step behind the screen Friday to run sessions for their own age group.
Work Alongside Your Peers
Apprentices participate in their regular track — Senior Guild or Evening Council — alongside the students they'll eventually be facilitating. This isn't observation from a distance. They're in it with them.
Learn the Craft Days
Wednesday and Thursday are dedicated study and craft sessions — working with the same materials as their group, learning what makes each discipline work, and building the knowledge needed to guide others through it.
Study the Players
A major part of Wednesday and Thursday is learning the people at the table — their personalities, how they interact, what excites them, and where they need support. A good DM doesn't just run the game. They serve the players.
Run Friday for Their Age Group
Every Friday, Apprentices facilitate the convergence session for their own age group — under Michael's direct supervision. Real players they know, real stakes, and a safety net always in place.
Learning the Players, Not Just the Game
The most important thing a DM learns isn't mechanics — it's people. Apprentices spend significant time developing the ability to read and respond to the players they're facilitating.
Who Is at This Table?
Every player comes in with a different personality, communication style, and way of engaging with the story. Apprentices learn to recognize those differences and adapt — not treat every player the same way.
How Do They Interact?
A group isn't just a collection of individuals — it has its own dynamic. Apprentices observe how players relate to each other, where friction forms, and where natural leadership emerges, then use that to shape the session.
What Do They Care About?
A great DM knows what makes each player lean in. Apprentices actively learn the interests, motivations, and story hooks of the players they'll be running — so Friday's session feels personal, not generic.
What's Happening Right Now?
Apprentices practice reading the room in real time — noticing when energy drops, when a player is disengaged, when the group needs a shift — and responding before things fall apart. This is the hardest skill. It's also the most valuable one.
Weekly Schedule
Wednesday and Thursday are where the real preparation happens — craft work, player study, and facilitation practice — all feeding into Friday's live session.
Work the Craft. Know the Players.
Apprentices work through the same craft discipline as their group — learning it deeply enough to guide others through it. Alongside that, Wednesday includes structured observation and discussion: who are the players at this table, what are their personalities, and how do they interact with each other?
Finish the Craft. Prepare the Session.
The craft project is completed — giving Apprentices firsthand knowledge of the process from start to finish. Thursday also covers session planning: using what they've learned about their players to shape Friday's narrative, choose the right challenges, and anticipate where the group will need support.
Run the Session for Their Age Group.
Apprentices facilitate Friday's convergence session for their own age group — the same peers they've been working alongside and studying all week. Michael is always present, always available, and always the safety net. But the table belongs to the Apprentice.
The Three-Year Arc
DM Apprentice isn't a one-summer program. It's a multi-year development pathway with real career value at the end.
Apprentice
Learn the fundamentals. Co-facilitate under direct supervision. Build your facilitation toolkit across June and July with structured instruction and live practice every Friday.
Trainee
Return with real experience. Take on greater responsibility at the Friday table, begin developing your own narrative material, and mentor first-year Apprentices.
Paid Junior GM
Strong Trainees are invited back as paid staff — running their own tables with Michael as creative director. A real credential. A real paycheck. A real skill that travels.
Questions
The Maker's Guild
Apprentices work through every craft discipline alongside their group — learning each one deeply enough to guide others through it. By summer's end, an Apprentice has both a facilitation toolkit and a complete collection of artifacts they made themselves.
Week 4 of July: Apprentices co-lead the capstone project for their age group — a Bag of Holding or a hand-bound Adventure Journal — complexity scaled to what they've learned all summer.
Ready to Step Behind the Screen?
DM Apprentice spots are limited and filled by application. The form below starts the conversation — Michael reviews every application personally.