Keith Baker and Monte Cook Are Teaching Classes at DMU

Since 2018, a specialized event organizer has been hosting deeply engaging experiences where professional dungeon masters manage D&D games in ancient fortresses in the UK and at a U.S. castle resort. These all-inclusive trips are widely appreciated among long-time dungeon masters who infrequently find the chance to participate as players themselves, and they often look for guidance from seasoned professionals on topics ranging from improvisation and puzzle design to dealing with tough scenarios at the table.

In response, the coordinators began designing a systematic approach to tackle these topics, which led to the establishment of Dungeon Master University. The inaugural event is set for January 2-3, 2026 at a university in Atlanta.

“You can watch countless online tutorials on virtually any subject and acquire valuable insights, but the philosophy was that there’s just no substitute face-to-face interaction alongside fellow DMs, where there’s live engagement with faculty instructors and other game masters who are probably in a similar position and aim to enhance their abilities,” stated the program's dean.

Course Offerings and Pricing Tiers

DMs can select tiers ranging from $995 to $2.5K, depending on the degree of interaction they desire with the professionals. The base tier includes a choice of four workshops:

• Foundational Skills: Covers the essentials of managing a session.
• Story Arc Development: Centers on designing extended campaigns.
• Setting Creation: Concentrates on the development of worlds.
• Industry Advancement: Tailored to dungeon masters who seek to understand more about the tabletop profession.

Every class includes multiple sessions of instruction spread over a weekend.

“The workshops are structured so that you depart having usable skills, enhanced belief in your abilities, and numerous applicable methods,” Carl said. “These aren't simple talks and they’re not just static videos. These are sessions that you can participate in, gain knowledge from, and then head back to your table the week after and implement in your local game.”

Expert Instructors

The majority of workshops are led by a pair of experts. Setting design is taught by Monte Cook and the creator of Eberron, together instructing the craft of setting creation.

Professional development presents several experts, such as an author on gaming puzzles, Clint McElroy, and an early professional game master. The expanded teaching staff is meant to provide specialized information to attendees with particular aims.

“Certain participants aim to start their own real-play series and present their narratives with the world, several plan to produce and create new material,” Carl explained. “Several only seek to ask, How do I get to be a DM at something like an immersive experience? What capabilities that I need? Is it for everyone?”

Advanced Options

A $1.5K gold tier offers access to a introductory event, a starter kit, and a brief one-on-one appointment with an instructor. This represents the inaugural DMU session, though the team has previously run similar events during breaks between campaigns at their premium gatherings.

“One could practically host an complete event just on one-on-one meetings for career game masters,” Carl observed. “I don’t know if that’s the best use of each attendee's hours – In my opinion the formal instruction and the hands-on activities is too valuable – 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 chance to lead a session for several participants plus a teacher, who will then provide notes and guidance.

“The aim is for the teacher to assess whatever the DM is concerned with: Hey I don’t do well with improv or I encounter obstacles in specific fight encounters. Could I demonstrate a situation for you and get feedback on what my strengths and weaknesses are?” Carl said. “Or maybe they want to receive input and information on a definite universe that they’ve been creating.”

Next Steps

Feedback from the first event will help guide future Dungeon Master University sessions. Carl mentioned that likely modifications could include increasing consultation time, making it longer to three days, or experimenting with varied class arrangements.

“I hope that we host such events frequently,” Carl said. “I would love to see numerous academy events in a given year, in different cities, and in multiple countries. The feedback has been overwhelmingly favorable. We're quite pleased with what we’re seeing and I believe it would be amazing to be able to conduct this in conjunction with large gatherings.”