Monte Cook along with Keith Baker Will Lead Workshops at DMU
Beginning in 2018, a specialized event organizer has been running deeply engaging experiences where expert DMs run fantasy roleplaying games in historic castles in England and at an American castle venue. These all-inclusive trips are highly favored among career game masters who infrequently find the moment to actually play themselves, and they often ask for tips from seasoned professionals on topics ranging from spontaneous storytelling and creating challenges to handling difficult situations at the table.
In response, the coordinators began designing a organized method to tackle these topics, which led to the establishment of DMU. The inaugural event is set for early January 2026 at Oglethorpe University.
“There are numerous digital guides on almost every theme and gain significant knowledge, but the philosophy was that nothing truly replaces face-to-face interaction together with fellow DMs, where direct communication with faculty instructors and your peers who are probably in a similar position and aim to level up their game,” stated Jason Carl.
Workshop Options and Ticket Packages
DMs can choose from tiers ranging from $995 to $2,500, depending on the level of access they desire with the instructors. The entry-level option includes selection from four classes:
- Foundational Skills: Teaches the basics of managing a session.
- Long-Term Game Planning: Focuses around crafting long-running games.
- Worldbuilding: Highlights the development of worlds.
- Career Building: Tailored to dungeon masters who seek to understand more about the roleplaying business.
Every class includes eight hours of classwork split over two days.
“The classes are created so that you depart having immediate practical outcomes, probably greater confidence, and a lot of usable tools,” Carl noted. “They’re not just lectures and they go beyond recorded content. These are sessions that you can join, absorb insights from, and then return to your group the week after and put into practice in your local game.”
Expert Instructors
Most classes are led by a pair of experts. Worldbuilding is guided by Monte Cook and a renowned campaign designer, both teaching the skill of universe design.
Professional development presents four different teachers, such as an author on gaming puzzles, an entertainment professional, and a pioneering DM. The additional faculty is designed to deliver focused advice to attendees with specific goals.
“Certain participants plan to create their own real-play series and display their adventures with the world, others aim to release and develop fresh ideas,” Carl stated. “Others simply wish to ask, How do I get to be a DM at an event like a castle event? Which abilities that I need? Is it for everyone?”
Premium Packages
A $1.5K premium package provides access to a welcome reception, a welcome gift pack, and a 30-minute office hour appointment with an instructor. This represents the inaugural DMU session, though the team has previously run comparable workshops during breaks between campaigns at their immersive experiences.
“One could practically host an full two days just on one-on-one meetings for professional dungeon masters,” Carl observed. “It's unclear if that’s the best use of each attendee's hours – I believe the structured learning 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 $2.5K premium option includes an extended personal consultation and the possibility to manage an adventure for five players plus a teacher, who will then offer feedback and guidance.
“The goal is for the faculty member to review any element is concerned with: I have difficulty with improvisation or I feel stuck in certain battle scenarios. May I present a situation for you and receive input on my areas of proficiency and challenge?” Carl detailed. “Alternatively they want to get feedback and guidance on a specific world that they’ve been building.”
Future Plans
Feedback from the inaugural session will help shape upcoming academy workshops. Carl said that possible changes could include expanding one-on-one sessions, lengthening the event to a longer period, or testing varied class arrangements.
“I hope that we host such events very often,” Carl stated. “I would love to see multiple Dungeon Master Universities in a single year, in different cities, and in various nations. The response has been overwhelmingly favorable. We're extremely satisfied with the results so far and I think it would be fantastic to be able to organize these in partnership with major events.”
