Monte Cook along with Keith Baker Are Teaching Workshops at DMU

Since 2018, a specialized event organizer has been hosting deeply engaging experiences where experienced game masters run fantasy roleplaying games in historic castles in Britain and at an American castle venue. These all-inclusive trips are highly favored among forever DMs who infrequently find the moment to actually play themselves, and they often ask for tips from experts on topics ranging from improvisation and crafting riddles to handling difficult situations at the table.

In response, the coordinators began designing a structured way to answer these inquiries, which led to the creation of Dungeon Master University. The debut workshop is planned for early January 2026 at Oglethorpe University.

“You can watch countless online tutorials on virtually any subject and learn quite a lot, but the idea was that nothing truly replaces face-to-face interaction in the company of other dungeon masters, where direct communication with seasoned educators and your fellow DMs often in comparable situations and also want to improve their skills,” noted the dean of Dungeon Master University.

Available Classes and Pricing Tiers

Dungeon Masters can choose from tiers ranging from $995 to two thousand five hundred dollars, depending on the degree of interaction they desire with the professionals. The entry-level option includes a choice of four workshops:

• Foundational Skills: Teaches the fundamentals of running D&D.
• Campaign Building: Centers on designing extended campaigns.
• Worldbuilding: Emphasizes the development of worlds.
• Industry Advancement: Designed for game masters who want to learn more about the tabletop profession.

Each course includes eight hours of training split over a weekend.

“The classes are designed so that you walk away with immediate practical outcomes, enhanced belief in your abilities, and a lot of usable tools,” Carl explained. “It's more than presentations and they go beyond recorded content. These classes that you can join, absorb insights from, and then return to your group the following week and put into practice in your regular session.”

Seasoned Educators

The majority of workshops are led by duo of instructors. Worldbuilding is led by the founder of Monte Cook Games and Keith Baker, together instructing the skill of universe design.

Professional development presents four different teachers, such as an author on gaming puzzles, Clint McElroy, and an early professional game master. The additional faculty is intended to offer targeted guidance to participants with specific goals.

“Certain participants aim to start their own live gameplay show and display their adventures with the world, several aim to release and develop fresh ideas,” Carl stated. “Several only seek to ask, How do I get to be a DM at a program like D&D in a Castle? What are the skills that I need? Is it for everyone?”

Premium Packages

A $1,500 gold tier offers access to a introductory event, a introductory package, and a half-hour consultation appointment with a teacher. This represents the inaugural DMU session, though the team has previously run similar events during breaks between adventures at their premium gatherings.

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

The $2.5K platinum tier offers an extended personal consultation and the possibility to run a game for several participants plus an instructor, who will then provide notes and instruction.

“The aim is for the teacher to evaluate whichever aspect is concerned with: Hey I don’t do well with spontaneous decisions or I get blocked in certain battle scenarios. 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 particular setting that they’ve been developing.”

Future Plans

Input from the inaugural session will help guide future Dungeon Master University sessions. Carl mentioned that likely modifications could include expanding one-on-one sessions, making it longer to 72 hours, or experimenting with varied class arrangements.

“I anticipate that we host such events frequently,” Carl stated. “I truly hope to see multiple Dungeon Master Universities in a single year, in various locations, and in various nations. The reception has been really terrific. We're extremely satisfied with what we’re seeing and I think it would be wonderful to be able to conduct this in partnership with large gatherings.”