Monte Cook along with Keith Baker Are Instructing Sessions at DMU

Since 2018, a specialized event organizer has been organizing deeply engaging experiences where professional dungeon masters run D&D games in historic castles in England and at a U.S. castle resort. These all-inclusive trips are widely appreciated among forever DMs who infrequently find the moment to actually play themselves, and they often ask for tips from the pros on topics ranging from improvisation and crafting riddles to handling difficult situations at the table.

In response, the planners began designing a organized method to address these questions, which led to the founding of the Dungeon Master Academy. The first session is set for January 2-3, 2026 at an Atlanta campus.

“You can watch numerous digital guides on virtually any subject and acquire valuable insights, but the idea was that there’s just no substitute face-to-face interaction together with peers in game mastering, where real-time interaction with seasoned educators and other game masters who are probably in a similar position and seek to improve their skills,” stated the dean of Dungeon Master University.

Available Classes and Ticket Packages

DMs can opt for options ranging from $995 to $2,500, based on the degree of interaction they desire with the instructors. The base tier includes selection from four classes:

• Skill Building: Focuses on the basics of managing a session.
• Story Arc Development: Focuses around crafting long-running games.
• Universe Design: Highlights the development of worlds.
• Professional Development: Tailored to dungeon masters who want to learn more about the tabletop profession.

All workshops includes eight hours of classwork split over two days.

“The workshops are structured so that you depart having usable skills, enhanced belief in your abilities, and a lot of usable tools,” Carl noted. “These aren't simple talks and they exceed pre-recorded material. These workshops that you can attend, learn from, and then return to your group the following week and put into practice in your home campaign.”

Seasoned Educators

Many sessions are taught by duo of instructors. Setting design is led by Monte Cook and Keith Baker, together instructing the art of worldbuilding.

Career building includes four different teachers, such as an author on gaming puzzles, a podcast co-host, and an early professional game master. The expanded teaching staff is intended to offer targeted guidance to attendees with particular aims.

“Certain participants plan to create their own real-play series and share their stories with the world, some of them want to publish and develop fresh ideas,” Carl explained. “Several only seek to ask, What's the path to be a DM at a program like an immersive experience? What are the skills that I need? Is it for everyone?”

Higher Tiers

A $1,500 enhanced option includes 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 organizers has previously run comparable workshops during breaks between adventures at their immersive experiences.

“It would be possible to organize an full two days just on consultation sessions for expert DMs,” Carl said. “I don’t know if that’s the optimal application of all participants' schedule – I believe the formal instruction and the hands-on activities is highly beneficial – but I believe it’s going to be among the most sought-after parts of the program.”

The $2.5K top package includes an hour of one-on-one time and the opportunity to lead a session for five players plus an instructor, who will then offer feedback and coaching.

“The goal is for the instructor to review whichever aspect is interested in: Hey I don’t do well with improvisation or I encounter obstacles in certain battle scenarios. Can I run a scene for you and receive input on where I excel and need improvement?” Carl detailed. “Perhaps they want to obtain critique and advice on a specific world that they’ve been developing.”

Next Steps

Responses from the first event will help guide upcoming academy workshops. Carl said that likely modifications could include increasing consultation time, extending the program to three days, or testing different seminar structures.

“I expect that we conduct these frequently,” Carl stated. “I really want to see numerous academy events in a given year, in different cities, and in various nations. The feedback has been overwhelmingly favorable. We're quite pleased with what we’re seeing and I believe it would be wonderful to be able to conduct this in collaboration with major events.”