Monte Cook along with Monte Cook Will Lead Workshops at Dungeon Master University

Since 2018, a specialized event organizer has been organizing immersive events where professional dungeon masters manage Dungeons & Dragons games in historic castles in the UK and at an American castle venue. The comprehensive packages are highly favored among long-time dungeon masters who rarely get the chance to join in the game themselves, and they often look for guidance from experts on topics ranging from spontaneous storytelling and creating challenges to managing conflicts at the table.

In response, the organizers began crafting a organized method to answer these inquiries, which led to the establishment of DMU. The inaugural event is scheduled for the start of 2026 at Oglethorpe University.

“You can watch countless online tutorials on virtually any subject and gain significant knowledge, but the concept was that nothing truly replaces a live, hands-on session together with other dungeon masters, where real-time interaction with faculty instructors and your fellow DMs who are probably in comparable situations and also want to enhance their abilities,” stated Jason Carl.

Available Classes and Ticket Packages

Game masters can opt for tiers ranging from $995 to two thousand five hundred dollars, based on the level of access they desire with the experts. The entry-level option includes a choice of four workshops:

• Core Techniques: Covers the basics of managing a session.
• Story Arc Development: Is dedicated to building persistent adventures.
• Worldbuilding: Emphasizes the art of setting design.
• Industry Advancement: Tailored to dungeon masters who want to learn more about the gaming industry.

Each course includes multiple sessions of training spread over a weekend.

“The classes are structured so that you depart having tangible results, enhanced belief in your abilities, and a lot of usable tools,” Carl said. “They’re not just lectures and they go beyond recorded content. These classes that you can attend, absorb insights from, and then return to your group the week after and put into practice in your local game.”

Professional Teachers

Many sessions are led by a pair of experts. Universe creation is taught by the founder of Monte Cook Games and the creator of Eberron, both teaching the art of worldbuilding.

Career building features several experts, such as Elisa Teague, a podcast co-host, and a pioneering DM. The extra instructors is designed to offer targeted guidance to students with particular aims.

“Some of them plan to create their own live gameplay show and present their narratives with the world, several plan to produce and develop fresh ideas,” Carl stated. “Some just want to ask, What's the path to be a DM at something like an immersive experience? What are the skills that I need? Is this achievable?”

Higher Tiers

A $1,500 premium package offers access to a opening gathering, a starter kit, and a brief one-on-one appointment with one of the faculty. This constitutes the inaugural DMU session, though the company has previously run comparable workshops during breaks between game sessions at their castle events.

“It would be possible to organize an entire weekend just on office hours for career game masters,” Carl mentioned. “It's unclear if that’s the optimal application of each attendee's hours – I think the structured learning and the practical exercises is too valuable – but I suspect it’s going to be a highly favored parts of the program.”

The twenty-five hundred dollar platinum tier includes an extended personal consultation and the possibility to lead a session for a small group plus an instructor, who will then offer feedback and guidance.

“The purpose is for the faculty member to evaluate any element is concerned with: Hey I don’t do well with improvisation or I feel stuck in specific fight encounters. Can I run a situation for you and get feedback on where I excel and need improvement?” Carl detailed. “Or maybe they want to get feedback and guidance on a definite universe that they’ve been creating.”

Next Steps

Responses from the first event will help guide upcoming academy workshops. Carl suggested that potential adjustments could include increasing consultation time, making it longer to three days, or testing varied class arrangements.

“I hope that we conduct these frequently,” Carl expressed. “I really want to see several DMU sessions in a given year, in various locations, and in multiple countries. The feedback has been really terrific. We're quite pleased with current developments and I feel it would be wonderful to be able to conduct this in conjunction with large gatherings.”