Monte Cook along with Monte Cook Will Lead Sessions at DMU

Since 2018, Tabletop Vacations has been hosting immersive events where professional dungeon masters manage fantasy roleplaying games in historic castles in Britain and at a U.S. castle resort. These all-inclusive trips are widely appreciated among forever DMs who rarely get the opportunity to join in the game themselves, and they often ask for tips from experts on topics ranging from spontaneous storytelling and crafting riddles to dealing with tough scenarios at the table.

In response, the planners began crafting a systematic approach to tackle these topics, which led to the founding of Dungeon Master University. The inaugural event is set for the start of 2026 at a university in Atlanta.

“There are countless online tutorials on virtually any subject and gain significant knowledge, but the philosophy was that nothing compares to face-to-face interaction in the company of peers in game mastering, where real-time interaction with expert teachers and other game masters likely in a similar position and also want to improve their skills,” noted Jason Carl.

Course Offerings and Cost Levels

DMs can opt for options ranging from just under $1,000 to two thousand five hundred dollars, based on the degree of interaction they desire with the experts. The base tier includes selection from four classes:

• Skill Building: Focuses on the fundamentals of managing a session.
• Long-Term Game Planning: Centers on crafting long-running games.
• Universe Design: Emphasizes the development of worlds.
• Career Building: Tailored to dungeon masters who seek to understand more about the tabletop profession.

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

“The classes are created so that you walk away with usable skills, increased self-assurance, and a lot of usable tools,” Carl noted. “These aren't simple talks and they’re not just static videos. These are sessions that you can participate in, learn from, and then go right back home the following week and put into practice in your local game.”

Professional Teachers

The majority of workshops are led by two professors. Worldbuilding is guided by the founder of Monte Cook Games and the creator of Eberron, both teaching the craft of setting creation.

Career building features multiple instructors, such as an author on gaming puzzles, Clint McElroy, and Hunter Fell. The additional faculty is designed to deliver focused advice to students with particular aims.

“Various attendees aim to start their own live gameplay show and present their narratives with the world, several aim to release and create new material,” Carl stated. “Several only seek to ask, How do I get to be a DM at something like D&D in a Castle? What capabilities that I need? Can anyone do it?”

Higher Tiers

A fifteen hundred dollar gold tier includes access to a welcome reception, a starter kit, and a brief one-on-one appointment with an instructor. This represents the debut of the program, though the team has previously run Castle Days during breaks between adventures at their immersive experiences.

“You could almost run an complete event just on one-on-one meetings for career game masters,” Carl said. “I'm not certain if that’s the best use of each attendee's hours – I think the formal instruction and the lab work is extremely important – but I think it’s going to be among the most sought-after parts of the program.”

The twenty-five hundred dollar platinum tier offers an 60-minute private session and the possibility to manage an adventure for a small group plus a teacher, who will then provide notes and instruction.

“The aim is for the faculty member to assess whatever the DM is concerned with: I struggle with improv or I feel stuck in certain battle scenarios. Could I demonstrate a scenario for you and obtain advice on my areas of proficiency and challenge?” Carl explained. “Alternatively they want to receive input and guidance on a particular setting that they’ve been building.”

Future Plans

Feedback from the inaugural session will help shape future Dungeon Master University sessions. Carl mentioned that possible changes could include adding more office hours, making it longer to 72 hours, or testing different seminar structures.

“I anticipate that we conduct these regularly,” Carl stated. “I would love to see multiple Dungeon Master Universities in a single year, in various locations, and in multiple countries. The response has been really terrific. We're quite pleased with what we’re seeing and I think it would be amazing to be able to do this in conjunction with large gatherings.”