Monte Cook and Monte Cook Are Teaching Sessions at DMU
Since 2018, Tabletop Vacations has been running deeply engaging experiences where expert DMs lead fantasy roleplaying games in historic castles in England and at an American castle venue. These all-inclusive trips are especially popular among forever DMs who seldom have the opportunity to actually play themselves, and they often ask for tips from the pros on topics ranging from improv and creating challenges to dealing with tough scenarios at the table.
In response, the planners began developing a structured way to address these questions, which led to the creation of DMU. The debut workshop is set for early January 2026 at an Atlanta campus.
“You can watch countless online tutorials on any topic and learn quite a lot, but the idea was that there’s just no substitute face-to-face interaction together with peers in game mastering, where there’s live engagement with seasoned educators and other game masters often in the same boat and aim to enhance their abilities,” noted the dean of Dungeon Master University.
Course Offerings and Ticket Packages
DMs can select packages ranging from nearly a thousand dollars to $2.5K, based on the degree of interaction they desire with the professionals. The starting package includes selection from four classes:
- Foundational Skills: Teaches the fundamentals of leading a game.
- Long-Term Game Planning: Focuses around building persistent adventures.
- Universe Design: Concentrates on the art of setting design.
- Industry Advancement: Designed for dungeon masters who want to learn more about the roleplaying business.
Every class includes eight hours of instruction spread over 48 hours.
“The classes are structured so that you depart having immediate practical outcomes, probably greater confidence, and numerous applicable methods,” Carl said. “These aren't simple talks and they go beyond recorded content. These workshops that you can participate in, gain knowledge from, and then head back to your table the week after and put into practice in your regular session.”
Professional Teachers
The majority of workshops are led by duo of instructors. Setting design is led by Monte Cook and the creator of Eberron, together instructing the craft of setting creation.
Career building presents four different teachers, such as a puzzle design specialist, an entertainment professional, and an early professional game master. The expanded teaching staff is intended to deliver focused advice to attendees with definite objectives.
“Some of them want to launch their own live gameplay show and share their stories with the world, several plan to produce and write original content,” Carl explained. “Others simply wish to ask, How do I get to be a DM at something like an immersive experience? What are the skills that I need? Is it for everyone?”
Advanced Options
A $1,500 premium package includes access to a welcome reception, a starter kit, and a brief one-on-one appointment with an instructor. This constitutes the inaugural DMU session, though the company has previously run Castle Days during breaks between campaigns at their immersive experiences.
“You could almost run an entire weekend just on one-on-one meetings for expert DMs,” Carl said. “I'm not certain if that’s the best use of all participants' schedule – I think the structured learning 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 $2,500 top package includes an 60-minute private session and the chance to manage an adventure for five players plus a teacher, who will then give comments and coaching.
“The purpose is for the faculty member to review whatever the DM is interested in: Hey I don’t do well with improvisation or I get blocked in certain battle scenarios. Could I demonstrate a scenario for you and get feedback on my areas of proficiency and challenge?” Carl detailed. “Or maybe they want to get feedback and advice on a specific world that they’ve been developing.”
Future Plans
Feedback from the debut workshop will help determine upcoming academy workshops. Carl mentioned that potential adjustments could include expanding one-on-one sessions, making it longer to three days, or testing varied class arrangements.
“I anticipate that we host such events frequently,” Carl expressed. “I truly hope 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 the results so far and I feel it would be wonderful to be able to do this in collaboration with big conventions.”
