🔗 Share this article Keith Baker and Monte Cook Are Instructing Workshops at DMU Beginning in 2018, a specialized event organizer has been organizing immersive events where professional dungeon masters lead Dungeons & Dragons games in old manors in the UK and at an American castle venue. The comprehensive packages are especially popular among career game masters who rarely get the moment to actually play themselves, and they often look for guidance from the pros on topics ranging from improv and puzzle design to managing conflicts at the table. In response, the organizers began designing a systematic approach to address these questions, which led to the establishment of DMU. The first session is set for early January 2026 at Oglethorpe University. “You can watch countless online tutorials on virtually any subject and acquire valuable insights, but the idea was that there’s just no substitute an in-person experience alongside fellow DMs, where there’s live engagement with faculty instructors and your fellow DMs often in the same boat and also want to enhance their abilities,” stated Jason Carl. Available Classes and Cost Levels Game masters can opt for options ranging from just under $1,000 to $2,500, depending on the level of access they desire with the instructors. The entry-level option includes a choice of four workshops: Foundational Skills: Covers the basics of managing a session. Story Arc Development: Is dedicated to crafting long-running games. Setting Creation: Concentrates on the crafting of environments. Industry Advancement: Aimed at game masters who want to learn more about the tabletop profession. Every class includes multiple sessions of training divided across 48 hours. “The courses are created so that you walk away with immediate practical outcomes, increased self-assurance, and numerous applicable methods,” Carl said. “These aren't simple talks and they go beyond recorded content. These classes that you can attend, gain knowledge from, and then return to your group the week after and implement in your regular session.” Seasoned Educators The majority of workshops are taught by duo of instructors. Setting design is taught by Monte Cook and a renowned campaign designer, both teaching the art of worldbuilding. Professional development includes four different teachers, such as an author on gaming puzzles, a podcast co-host, and an early professional game master. The extra instructors is meant to deliver focused advice to students with definite objectives. “Some of them plan to create their own real-play series and share their stories with the world, some of them plan to produce and create new material,” Carl stated. “Others simply wish to ask, How do I get to be a DM at a program like D&D in a Castle? Which abilities that I need? Is it for everyone?” Premium Packages A fifteen hundred dollar gold tier provides access to a opening gathering, a introductory package, and a 30-minute office hour appointment with a teacher. This marks the inaugural DMU session, though the company has previously run similar events during breaks between adventures at their premium gatherings. “It would be possible to organize an entire weekend just on office hours for career game masters,” Carl observed. “It's unclear if that’s the optimal application of everybody’s time – I think the coursework and the lab work is too valuable – but I believe it’s going to be a highly favored parts of the program.” The $2.5K premium option provides an hour of one-on-one time and the opportunity to run a game for several participants plus one of the faculty members, who will then give comments and coaching. “The goal is for the faculty member to assess whichever aspect is focused on: Hey I don’t do well with spontaneous decisions or I encounter obstacles in certain battle scenarios. May I present a scenario for you and receive input on my areas of proficiency and challenge?” Carl detailed. “Or maybe they want to obtain critique and advice on a definite universe that they’ve been building.” Future Plans Input from the debut workshop will help guide future Dungeon Master University sessions. Carl said that possible changes could include expanding one-on-one sessions, making it longer to a longer period, or experimenting with alternative workshop formats. “I expect that we conduct these frequently,” Carl said. “I really want to see several DMU sessions in a given year, in various locations, and in various nations. The feedback has been really terrific. We're extremely satisfied with the results so far and I feel it would be wonderful to be able to organize these in conjunction with big conventions.”
Beginning in 2018, a specialized event organizer has been organizing immersive events where professional dungeon masters lead Dungeons & Dragons games in old manors in the UK and at an American castle venue. The comprehensive packages are especially popular among career game masters who rarely get the moment to actually play themselves, and they often look for guidance from the pros on topics ranging from improv and puzzle design to managing conflicts at the table. In response, the organizers began designing a systematic approach to address these questions, which led to the establishment of DMU. The first session is set for early January 2026 at Oglethorpe University. “You can watch countless online tutorials on virtually any subject and acquire valuable insights, but the idea was that there’s just no substitute an in-person experience alongside fellow DMs, where there’s live engagement with faculty instructors and your fellow DMs often in the same boat and also want to enhance their abilities,” stated Jason Carl. Available Classes and Cost Levels Game masters can opt for options ranging from just under $1,000 to $2,500, depending on the level of access they desire with the instructors. The entry-level option includes a choice of four workshops: Foundational Skills: Covers the basics of managing a session. Story Arc Development: Is dedicated to crafting long-running games. Setting Creation: Concentrates on the crafting of environments. Industry Advancement: Aimed at game masters who want to learn more about the tabletop profession. Every class includes multiple sessions of training divided across 48 hours. “The courses are created so that you walk away with immediate practical outcomes, increased self-assurance, and numerous applicable methods,” Carl said. “These aren't simple talks and they go beyond recorded content. These classes that you can attend, gain knowledge from, and then return to your group the week after and implement in your regular session.” Seasoned Educators The majority of workshops are taught by duo of instructors. Setting design is taught by Monte Cook and a renowned campaign designer, both teaching the art of worldbuilding. Professional development includes four different teachers, such as an author on gaming puzzles, a podcast co-host, and an early professional game master. The extra instructors is meant to deliver focused advice to students with definite objectives. “Some of them plan to create their own real-play series and share their stories with the world, some of them plan to produce and create new material,” Carl stated. “Others simply wish to ask, How do I get to be a DM at a program like D&D in a Castle? Which abilities that I need? Is it for everyone?” Premium Packages A fifteen hundred dollar gold tier provides access to a opening gathering, a introductory package, and a 30-minute office hour appointment with a teacher. This marks the inaugural DMU session, though the company has previously run similar events during breaks between adventures at their premium gatherings. “It would be possible to organize an entire weekend just on office hours for career game masters,” Carl observed. “It's unclear if that’s the optimal application of everybody’s time – I think the coursework and the lab work is too valuable – but I believe it’s going to be a highly favored parts of the program.” The $2.5K premium option provides an hour of one-on-one time and the opportunity to run a game for several participants plus one of the faculty members, who will then give comments and coaching. “The goal is for the faculty member to assess whichever aspect is focused on: Hey I don’t do well with spontaneous decisions or I encounter obstacles in certain battle scenarios. May I present a scenario for you and receive input on my areas of proficiency and challenge?” Carl detailed. “Or maybe they want to obtain critique and advice on a definite universe that they’ve been building.” Future Plans Input from the debut workshop will help guide future Dungeon Master University sessions. Carl said that possible changes could include expanding one-on-one sessions, making it longer to a longer period, or experimenting with alternative workshop formats. “I expect that we conduct these frequently,” Carl said. “I really want to see several DMU sessions in a given year, in various locations, and in various nations. The feedback has been really terrific. We're extremely satisfied with the results so far and I feel it would be wonderful to be able to organize these in conjunction with big conventions.”