Monte Cook and Keith Baker Will Lead Classes at DMU
Since 2018, a specialized event organizer has been running immersive events where experienced game masters run Dungeons & Dragons games in ancient fortresses in the UK and at Landoll’s Mohican Castle. The full-service getaways are highly favored among career game masters who rarely get the chance to join in the game themselves, and they often ask for tips from the pros on topics ranging from improvisation and creating challenges to managing conflicts at the table.
In response, the organizers began developing a systematic approach to address these questions, which led to the founding of DMU. The first session is planned for early January 2026 at a university in Atlanta.
“You can watch countless online tutorials on almost every theme and acquire valuable insights, but the philosophy was that nothing truly replaces an in-person experience together with other dungeon masters, where real-time interaction with seasoned educators and your peers often in comparable situations and aim to level up their game,” stated Jason Carl.
Workshop Options and Cost Levels
DMs can opt for tiers ranging from $995 to two thousand five hundred dollars, depending on the amount of contact they desire with the professionals. The entry-level option includes selection from four classes:
- Core Techniques: Teaches the basics of running D&D.
- Campaign Building: Focuses around designing extended campaigns.
- Setting Creation: Concentrates on the art of setting design.
- Career Building: Tailored to dungeon masters who aim to explore more about the roleplaying business.
Every class includes multiple sessions of classwork divided across a weekend.
“The courses are designed so that you leave with tangible results, increased self-assurance, and numerous applicable methods,” Carl explained. “They’re not just lectures and they exceed pre-recorded material. These are sessions that you can participate in, gain knowledge from, and then go right back home the following week and implement in your regular session.”
Expert Instructors
Most classes are taught by two professors. Universe creation is taught by Monte Cook and the creator of Eberron, both teaching the skill of universe design.
Industry advancement includes multiple instructors, such as Elisa Teague, Clint McElroy, and a pioneering DM. The extra instructors is meant to deliver focused advice to participants with specific goals.
“Some of them want to launch their own D&D actual play and display their adventures with the world, others plan to produce and develop fresh ideas,” Carl said. “Some just want to ask, How do I get to be a DM at an event like a castle event? What capabilities that I need? Can anyone do it?”
Premium Packages
A fifteen hundred dollar enhanced option provides access to a introductory event, a introductory package, and a half-hour consultation appointment with an instructor. This constitutes the first Dungeon Master Academy, though the team has previously run Castle Days during breaks between campaigns at their premium gatherings.
“It would be possible to organize an entire weekend just on office hours for expert DMs,” Carl observed. “I'm not certain if that’s the best use of each attendee's hours – In my opinion the formal instruction and the lab work is too valuable – but I suspect it’s going to be among the most sought-after parts of the program.”
The $2.5K platinum tier provides an extended personal consultation and the chance to lead a session for five players plus an instructor, who will then offer feedback and coaching.
“The goal is for the faculty member to evaluate any element is concerned with: I struggle with spontaneous decisions or I encounter obstacles in certain battle scenarios. May I present a scenario for you and get feedback on my areas of proficiency and challenge?” Carl detailed. “Or maybe they want to receive input and information on a specific world that they’ve been building.”
Next Steps
Input from the first event will help shape subsequent DMU events. Carl mentioned that possible changes could include adding more office hours, extending the program to three days, or trying out varied class arrangements.
“I anticipate that we do this frequently,” Carl stated. “I really want to see numerous academy events in a calendar year, in multiple places, and in different countries. The response has been really terrific. We're extremely satisfied with what we’re seeing and I think it would be wonderful to be able to organize these in conjunction with major events.”
