Keith Baker and Monte Cook Will Lead Sessions at Dungeon Master University

Since 2018, a specialized event organizer has been running deeply engaging experiences where professional dungeon masters manage D&D games in ancient fortresses in England and at Landoll’s Mohican Castle. These all-inclusive trips are especially popular among career game masters who rarely get the opportunity to participate as players themselves, and they often look for guidance from seasoned professionals on topics ranging from spontaneous storytelling and crafting riddles to managing conflicts at the table.

In response, the organizers began designing a systematic approach to tackle these topics, which led to the founding of DMU. The inaugural event is scheduled for January 2-3, 2026 at an Atlanta campus.

“There are countless online tutorials on virtually any subject and gain significant knowledge, but the philosophy was that nothing truly replaces a live, hands-on session in the company of peers in game mastering, where real-time interaction with faculty instructors and your peers who are probably in the same boat and aim to improve their skills,” stated the program's dean.

Course Offerings and Pricing Tiers

DMs can choose from tiers ranging from $995 to $2.5K, depending on the degree of interaction they desire with the experts. The starting package includes a choice of four workshops:

• Core Techniques: Covers the essentials of running D&D.
• Story Arc Development: Is dedicated to designing extended campaigns.
• Worldbuilding: Concentrates on the art of setting design.
• Industry Advancement: Tailored to dungeon masters who want to learn more about the tabletop profession.

All workshops includes multiple sessions of instruction divided across two days.

“The workshops are created so that you walk away with immediate practical outcomes, increased self-assurance, and a lot of usable tools,” Carl said. “These aren't simple talks and they go beyond recorded content. These are sessions that you can participate in, absorb insights from, and then go right back home the following week and implement in your regular session.”

Expert Instructors

The majority of workshops are led by duo of instructors. Setting design is taught by an industry veteran and Keith Baker, both teaching the art of worldbuilding.

Career building features several experts, such as a puzzle design specialist, a podcast co-host, and Hunter Fell. The expanded teaching staff is designed to provide specialized information to students with particular aims.

“Certain participants plan to create their own D&D actual play and share their stories with the world, others aim to release and create new material,” Carl said. “Several only seek to ask, How do I get to be a DM at an event like D&D in a Castle? What are the skills that I need? Is it for everyone?”

Advanced Options

A fifteen hundred dollar gold tier provides access to a introductory event, a introductory package, and a 30-minute office hour appointment with one of the faculty. This represents the inaugural DMU session, though the team has previously run Castle Days during breaks between game sessions at their premium gatherings.

“You could almost run an full two days just on one-on-one meetings for expert DMs,” Carl observed. “It's unclear if that’s the most effective utilization of everybody’s time – I believe the coursework and the practical exercises is highly beneficial – but I suspect it’s going to be among the most sought-after parts of the program.”

The $2,500 platinum tier offers an 60-minute private session and the opportunity to manage an adventure for a small group plus an instructor, who will then give comments and coaching.

“The goal is for the faculty member to assess any element is focused on: I struggle with improvisation or I get blocked in certain battle scenarios. Can I run a situation for you and obtain advice on what my strengths and weaknesses are?” Carl detailed. “Alternatively they want to obtain critique and information on a specific world that they’ve been building.”

Next Steps

Input from the debut workshop will help shape subsequent DMU events. Carl mentioned that possible changes could include expanding one-on-one sessions, making it longer to a longer period, or experimenting with varied class arrangements.

“I hope that we conduct these regularly,” Carl stated. “I really want to see multiple Dungeon Master Universities in a given year, in different cities, and in multiple countries. The response has been overwhelmingly favorable. We're extremely satisfied with the results so far and I feel it would be wonderful to be able to do this in partnership with big conventions.”