Monte Cook along with Monte Cook Will Lead Sessions at DMU
Since 2018, a specialized event organizer has been hosting deeply engaging experiences where professional dungeon masters lead fantasy roleplaying games in old manors in England and at a U.S. castle resort. The full-service getaways are widely appreciated among forever DMs who seldom have the opportunity to join in the game themselves, and they often look for guidance from seasoned professionals on topics ranging from spontaneous storytelling and creating challenges to handling difficult situations at the table.
In response, the coordinators began developing a systematic approach to answer these inquiries, which led to the establishment of the Dungeon Master Academy. The debut workshop is planned for early January 2026 at a university in Atlanta.
“It's possible to view thousands of YouTube videos on any topic and learn quite a lot, but the philosophy was that nothing truly replaces an in-person experience in the company of other dungeon masters, where there’s live engagement with expert teachers and other game masters likely in the same boat and aim to improve their skills,” noted Jason Carl.
Course Offerings and Pricing Tiers
Game masters can choose from packages ranging from $995 to $2.5K, depending on the degree of interaction they desire with the professionals. The entry-level option includes a choice of four workshops:
- Skill Building: Teaches the fundamentals of running D&D.
- Campaign Building: Focuses around building persistent adventures.
- Universe Design: Highlights the art of setting design.
- Professional Development: Designed for game masters who aim to explore more about the tabletop profession.
Every class includes two days of training spread over two days.
“The classes are created so that you walk away with tangible results, enhanced belief in your abilities, and many practical techniques,” Carl noted. “These aren't simple talks and they go beyond recorded content. These classes that you can participate in, learn from, and then return to your group the following week and put into practice in your home campaign.”
Seasoned Educators
The majority of workshops are taught by two professors. Universe creation is led by Monte Cook and the creator of Eberron, together instructing the skill of universe design.
Professional development includes four different teachers, such as a puzzle design specialist, an entertainment professional, and a pioneering DM. The additional faculty is intended to offer targeted guidance to attendees with particular aims.
“Certain participants want to launch their own D&D actual play and display their adventures with the world, some of them aim to release and develop fresh ideas,” Carl explained. “Several only seek to ask, What does it take to be a DM at something like D&D in a Castle? What capabilities that I need? Is this achievable?”
Advanced Options
A $1,500 gold tier provides access to a opening gathering, a welcome gift pack, and a 30-minute office hour appointment with an instructor. This constitutes the inaugural DMU session, though the team has previously run comparable workshops during breaks between campaigns at their immersive experiences.
“It would be possible to organize an entire weekend just on one-on-one meetings for career game masters,” Carl observed. “It's unclear if that’s the best use of all participants' schedule – I think the structured learning and the hands-on activities is too valuable – but I believe it’s going to be one of the most popular parts of the program.”
The $2.5K premium option provides an 60-minute private session and the opportunity to run a game for five players plus one of the faculty members, who will then offer feedback and coaching.
“The purpose is for the faculty member to review any element is focused on: I have difficulty with spontaneous decisions or I get blocked in specific fight encounters. Can I run a scene for you and get feedback on my areas of proficiency and challenge?” Carl explained. “Alternatively they want to obtain critique and information on a definite universe that they’ve been developing.”
Next Steps
Feedback from the debut workshop will help guide subsequent DMU events. Carl suggested that possible changes could include increasing consultation time, making it longer to three days, or experimenting with varied class arrangements.
“I anticipate that we host such events regularly,” Carl expressed. “I truly hope to see several DMU sessions in a given year, in multiple places, and in different countries. The response has been really terrific. We're quite pleased with the results so far and I feel it would be fantastic to be able to organize these in conjunction with big conventions.”
