Monte Cook along with Keith Baker Are Teaching Sessions at Dungeon Master University

Since 2018, Tabletop Vacations has been running deeply engaging experiences where expert DMs run Dungeons & Dragons games in old manors in England and at Landoll’s Mohican Castle. The comprehensive packages are highly favored among career game masters who infrequently find the moment to join in the game themselves, and they often seek advice from seasoned professionals on topics ranging from improv and creating challenges to handling difficult situations at the table.

In response, the planners began crafting a organized method to tackle these topics, which led to the creation of DMU. The debut workshop is planned for early January 2026 at Oglethorpe University.

“You can watch countless online tutorials on almost every theme and learn quite a lot, but the philosophy was that there’s just no substitute an in-person experience in the company of fellow DMs, where real-time interaction with seasoned educators and your peers who are probably in the same boat and seek to enhance their abilities,” explained the dean of Dungeon Master University.

Available Classes and Cost Levels

Dungeon Masters can select packages ranging from just under $1,000 to two thousand five hundred dollars, according to the degree of interaction they desire with the professionals. The entry-level option includes selection from four classes:

• Skill Building: Focuses on the basics of running D&D.
• Campaign Building: Centers on building persistent adventures.
• Setting Creation: Emphasizes the crafting of environments.
• Industry Advancement: Tailored to DMs who want to learn more about the roleplaying business.

All workshops includes two days of classwork divided across a weekend.

“The workshops are created so that you walk away with usable skills, probably greater confidence, and many practical techniques,” Carl said. “It's more than presentations and they’re not just static videos. These classes that you can attend, absorb insights from, and then go right back home the following week and apply in your regular session.”

Expert Instructors

Many sessions are led by a pair of experts. Worldbuilding is led by Monte Cook and the creator of Eberron, jointly leading the art of worldbuilding.

Professional development features several experts, such as an author on gaming puzzles, Clint McElroy, and an early professional game master. The expanded teaching staff is designed to offer targeted guidance to attendees with definite objectives.

“Certain participants aim to start their own live gameplay show and present their narratives with the world, others aim to release and write original content,” Carl stated. “Others simply wish to ask, How do I get to be a DM at an event like an immersive experience? What are the skills that I need? Is it for everyone?”

Higher Tiers

A $1.5K enhanced option offers access to a introductory event, a welcome gift pack, and a half-hour consultation appointment with an instructor. This marks the debut of the program, though the company has previously run similar events during breaks between adventures at their castle events.

“It would be possible to organize an entire weekend just on consultation sessions for expert DMs,” Carl said. “It's unclear if that’s the most effective utilization of each attendee's hours – I think the structured learning and the practical exercises is extremely important – but I think it’s going to be one of the most popular parts of the program.”

The twenty-five hundred dollar premium option offers an extended personal consultation and the chance to lead a session for several participants plus a teacher, who will then offer feedback and guidance.

“The aim is for the faculty member to review whichever aspect is focused on: Hey I don’t do well with spontaneous decisions or I feel stuck in certain battle scenarios. Could I demonstrate a situation for you and obtain advice on what my strengths and weaknesses are?” Carl said. “Perhaps they want to obtain critique and guidance on a particular setting that they’ve been building.”

Next Steps

Responses from the first event will help shape subsequent DMU events. Carl suggested that possible changes could include expanding one-on-one sessions, lengthening the event to a longer period, or trying out different seminar structures.

“I hope that we conduct these frequently,” Carl stated. “I truly hope to see several DMU sessions in a single year, in multiple places, and in multiple countries. The response has been overwhelmingly favorable. We’re very happy with the results so far and I believe it would be wonderful to be able to organize these in conjunction with big conventions.”