Monte Cook along with Monte Cook Are Teaching Workshops at Dungeon Master University
Since 2018, Tabletop Vacations has been running immersive events where experienced game masters run D&D games in ancient fortresses in England and at an American castle venue. The full-service getaways are widely appreciated among forever DMs who seldom have the chance to actually play themselves, and they often seek advice from the pros on topics ranging from improv and creating challenges to managing conflicts at the table.
In response, the planners began developing a structured way to answer these inquiries, which led to the establishment of the Dungeon Master Academy. The first session is planned for early January 2026 at a university in Atlanta.
“It's possible to view countless online tutorials on almost every theme and gain significant knowledge, but the idea was that there’s just no substitute face-to-face interaction alongside peers in game mastering, where real-time interaction with faculty instructors and other game masters likely in the same boat and seek to level up their game,” stated the program's dean.
Course Offerings and Pricing Tiers
Dungeon Masters can choose from tiers ranging from nearly a thousand dollars to $2,500, according to the amount of contact they desire with the experts. The base tier includes selection from four classes:
- Core Techniques: Covers the fundamentals of leading a game.
- Campaign Building: Centers on designing extended campaigns.
- Universe Design: Emphasizes the development of worlds.
- Career Building: Tailored to DMs who seek to understand more about the roleplaying business.
Every class includes multiple sessions of classwork spread over 48 hours.
“The classes are structured so that you walk away with tangible results, enhanced belief in your abilities, and numerous applicable methods,” Carl said. “It's more than presentations and they exceed pre-recorded material. These are sessions that you can attend, absorb insights from, and then head back to your table the week after and put into practice in your regular session.”
Expert Instructors
Most classes are instructed by two professors. Universe creation is led by an industry veteran and Keith Baker, jointly leading the art of worldbuilding.
Career building features multiple instructors, such as a puzzle design specialist, Clint McElroy, and a pioneering DM. The expanded teaching staff is designed to offer targeted guidance to participants with particular aims.
“Various attendees plan to create their own real-play series and present their narratives with the world, some of them want to publish and develop fresh ideas,” Carl said. “Several only seek to ask, What's the path to be a DM at something like a castle event? Which abilities that I need? Can anyone do it?”
Higher Tiers
A $1.5K premium package provides access to a welcome reception, a introductory package, and a 30-minute office hour appointment with a teacher. This marks the debut of the program, though the company has previously run comparable workshops during breaks between campaigns at their premium gatherings.
“You could almost run an entire weekend just on one-on-one meetings for career game masters,” Carl mentioned. “I'm not certain if that’s the best use of each attendee's hours – In my opinion the structured learning and the hands-on activities is highly beneficial – but I believe it’s going to be a highly favored parts of the program.”
The $2,500 platinum tier includes an extended personal consultation and the possibility to lead a session for a small group plus a teacher, who will then provide notes and instruction.
“The purpose is for the faculty member to evaluate whichever aspect is interested in: I have difficulty with improv or I get blocked in this kind of combat situation. Can I run a scenario for you and obtain advice on what my strengths and weaknesses are?” Carl said. “Or maybe they want to obtain critique and guidance on a definite universe that they’ve been developing.”
Future Plans
Feedback from the first event will help determine subsequent DMU events. Carl said that likely modifications could include adding more office hours, making it longer to 72 hours, or trying out alternative workshop formats.
“I expect that we host such events very often,” Carl stated. “I really want to see numerous academy events in a single year, in different cities, and in different countries. The feedback has been extremely positive. We're quite pleased with current developments and I think it would be wonderful to be able to organize these in collaboration with large gatherings.”
