Monte Cook and Monte Cook Are Teaching Workshops at Dungeon Master University

Since 2018, a specialized event organizer has been hosting deeply engaging experiences where expert DMs lead D&D games in old manors in the UK and at an American castle venue. These all-inclusive trips are widely appreciated among long-time dungeon masters who infrequently find the chance to join in the game themselves, and they often look for guidance from the pros on topics ranging from spontaneous storytelling and crafting riddles to handling difficult situations at the table.

In response, the organizers began crafting a organized method to tackle these topics, which led to the creation of DMU. The debut workshop is scheduled for January 2-3, 2026 at Oglethorpe University.

“It's possible to view countless online tutorials on any topic and gain significant knowledge, but the philosophy was that there’s just no substitute a live, hands-on session in the company of peers in game mastering, where real-time interaction with faculty instructors and your peers likely in a similar position and seek to improve their skills,” noted the dean of Dungeon Master University.

Workshop Options and Pricing Tiers

Game masters can choose from packages ranging from just under $1,000 to $2.5K, based on the degree of interaction they desire with the professionals. The base tier includes one of four courses:

• Skill Building: Focuses on the essentials of running D&D.
• Story Arc Development: Centers on designing extended campaigns.
• Worldbuilding: Concentrates on the crafting of environments.
• Professional Development: Designed for DMs who want to learn more about the tabletop profession.

Every class includes eight hours of instruction divided across a weekend.

“The courses are created so that you depart having tangible results, probably greater confidence, and numerous applicable methods,” Carl noted. “They’re not just lectures and they’re not just static videos. These are sessions that you can attend, absorb insights from, and then go right back home the week after and implement in your home campaign.”

Expert Instructors

Many sessions are led by a pair of experts. Worldbuilding is taught by the founder of Monte Cook Games and Keith Baker, together instructing the skill of universe design.

Professional development presents multiple instructors, such as Elisa Teague, an entertainment professional, and a pioneering DM. The additional faculty is designed to provide specialized information to attendees with definite objectives.

“Various attendees aim to start their own D&D actual play and present their narratives with the world, several aim to release and write original content,” Carl stated. “Several only seek to ask, How do I get to be a DM at something like a castle event? What are the skills that I need? Can anyone do it?”

Premium Packages

A $1.5K premium package offers access to a opening gathering, a welcome gift pack, and a brief one-on-one appointment with a teacher. This represents the debut of the program, though the team has previously run Castle Days during breaks between campaigns at their castle events.

“You could almost run an entire weekend just on consultation sessions for professional dungeon masters,” Carl said. “I'm not certain if that’s the best use of everybody’s time – In my opinion the coursework and the hands-on activities is too valuable – but I believe it’s going to be among the most sought-after parts of the program.”

The twenty-five hundred dollar premium option provides an hour of one-on-one time and the chance to manage an adventure for a small group plus a teacher, who will then provide notes and coaching.

“The aim is for the instructor to review whichever aspect is concerned with: I have difficulty with improvisation or I feel stuck in certain battle scenarios. Could I demonstrate a scene for you and get feedback on where I excel and need improvement?” Carl detailed. “Alternatively they want to receive input and guidance on a particular setting that they’ve been building.”

Future Plans

Responses from the first event will help shape subsequent DMU events. Carl suggested that likely modifications could include adding more office hours, making it longer to 72 hours, or testing varied class arrangements.

“I hope that we conduct these frequently,” Carl stated. “I would love to see multiple Dungeon Master Universities in a single year, in multiple places, and in various nations. The feedback has been extremely positive. We're extremely satisfied with what we’re seeing and I believe it would be wonderful to be able to organize these in conjunction with big conventions.”