Monte Cook along with Monte Cook Will Lead Sessions at DMU

Beginning in 2018, a specialized event organizer has been running immersive events where experienced game masters run Dungeons & Dragons games in old manors in England and at Landoll’s Mohican Castle. The comprehensive packages are widely appreciated among forever DMs who infrequently find the opportunity to participate as players themselves, and they often ask for tips from experts 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 establishment of the Dungeon Master Academy. The inaugural event is planned for January 2-3, 2026 at a university in Atlanta.

“You can watch countless online tutorials on virtually any subject and learn quite a lot, but the philosophy was that nothing compares to face-to-face interaction together with peers in game mastering, where there’s live engagement with faculty instructors and your peers likely in the same boat and aim to enhance their abilities,” stated Jason Carl.

Course Offerings and Pricing Tiers

DMs can choose from options ranging from just under $1,000 to $2,500, based on the amount of contact they desire with the instructors. The base tier includes one of four courses:

• Foundational Skills: Focuses on the fundamentals of managing a session.
• Story Arc Development: Centers on crafting long-running games.
• Worldbuilding: Emphasizes the development of worlds.
• Professional Development: Designed for dungeon masters who want to learn more about the tabletop profession.

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

“The courses are structured so that you leave with immediate practical outcomes, enhanced belief in your abilities, and numerous applicable methods,” Carl said. “These aren't simple talks and they go beyond recorded content. These classes that you can attend, gain knowledge from, and then go right back home the next week and put into practice in your home campaign.”

Seasoned Educators

Many sessions are led by duo of instructors. Setting design is guided by Monte Cook and a renowned campaign designer, together instructing the skill of universe design.

Career building features multiple instructors, such as a puzzle design specialist, a podcast co-host, and a pioneering DM. The extra instructors is intended to provide specialized information to participants with specific goals.

“Various attendees want to launch their own live gameplay show and display their adventures with the world, some of them want to publish and create new material,” Carl said. “Others simply wish to ask, What's the path to be a DM at something like an immersive experience? What capabilities that I need? Is this achievable?”

Premium Packages

A $1.5K enhanced option includes access to a introductory event, a introductory package, and a half-hour consultation appointment with one of the faculty. This represents the first Dungeon Master Academy, though the company has previously run Castle Days during breaks between adventures at their castle events.

“You could almost run an full two days just on office hours for expert DMs,” Carl mentioned. “I don’t know if that’s the optimal application of each attendee's hours – I believe the coursework and the lab work is too valuable – but I believe it’s going to be one of the most popular parts of the program.”

The $2,500 top package includes an hour of one-on-one time and the possibility to lead a session for a small group plus one of the faculty members, who will then give comments and instruction.

“The goal is for the faculty member to evaluate whichever aspect is concerned with: I have difficulty with improvisation or I feel stuck in specific fight encounters. May I present a situation for you and get feedback on my areas of proficiency and challenge?” Carl explained. “Perhaps they want to get feedback and advice on a particular setting that they’ve been building.”

Coming Developments

Responses from the inaugural session will help guide future Dungeon Master University sessions. Carl mentioned that likely modifications could include expanding one-on-one sessions, making it longer to 72 hours, or trying out alternative workshop formats.

“I hope that we do this very often,” Carl said. “I would love to see numerous academy events in a given year, in various locations, and in different countries. The response has been overwhelmingly favorable. We’re very happy with current developments and I believe it would be amazing to be able to organize these in conjunction with major events.”