Monte Cook along with Monte Cook Will Lead Sessions at Dungeon Master University

Since 2018, Tabletop Vacations has been organizing immersive events where expert DMs manage Dungeons & Dragons games in ancient fortresses in England and at a U.S. castle resort. The comprehensive packages are highly favored among long-time dungeon masters who rarely get the chance to participate as players themselves, and they often seek advice from seasoned professionals on topics ranging from improvisation and crafting riddles to managing conflicts at the table.

In response, the planners began crafting a organized method to answer these inquiries, which led to the establishment of Dungeon Master University. The inaugural event is scheduled for early January 2026 at a university in Atlanta.

“There are numerous digital guides on any topic and acquire valuable insights, but the concept was that there’s just no substitute a live, hands-on session together with other dungeon masters, where real-time interaction with expert teachers and your peers often in the same boat and aim to enhance their abilities,” noted Jason Carl.

Available Classes and Pricing Tiers

DMs can opt for packages ranging from just under $1,000 to $2.5K, based on the amount of contact they desire with the professionals. The entry-level option includes a choice of four workshops:

• Foundational Skills: Focuses on the essentials of managing a session.
• Campaign Building: Centers on building persistent adventures.
• Worldbuilding: Emphasizes the crafting of environments.
• Career Building: Designed for DMs who seek to understand more about the gaming industry.

All workshops includes two days of classwork split over 48 hours.

“The classes are structured so that you depart having tangible results, enhanced belief in your abilities, and numerous applicable methods,” Carl explained. “These aren't simple talks and they go beyond recorded content. These classes that you can join, gain knowledge from, and then head back to your table the next week and put into practice in your home campaign.”

Seasoned Educators

Many sessions are led by duo of instructors. Worldbuilding is taught by Monte Cook and the creator of Eberron, jointly leading the art of worldbuilding.

Industry advancement includes four different teachers, such as a puzzle design specialist, a podcast co-host, and Hunter Fell. The additional faculty is meant to offer targeted guidance to participants with specific goals.

“Some of them want to launch their own real-play series and share their stories with the world, others aim to release and create new material,” Carl explained. “Some just want to ask, How do I get to be a DM at a program like an immersive experience? What are the skills that I need? Can anyone do it?”

Advanced Options

A fifteen hundred dollar enhanced option provides access to a welcome reception, a welcome gift pack, and a brief one-on-one appointment with a teacher. This marks the debut of the program, though the organizers has previously run similar events during breaks between game sessions at their premium gatherings.

“You could almost run an full two days just on consultation sessions for career game masters,” Carl said. “I don’t know if that’s the most effective utilization of everybody’s time – In my opinion the structured learning and the lab work is extremely important – but I believe it’s going to be a highly favored parts of the program.”

The twenty-five hundred dollar platinum tier provides an hour of one-on-one time and the opportunity to manage an adventure for a small group plus an instructor, who will then give comments and coaching.

“The aim is for the teacher to review whatever the DM is concerned with: Hey I don’t do well with improv or I get blocked in specific fight encounters. May I present a situation for you and obtain advice on what my strengths and weaknesses are?” Carl explained. “Perhaps they want to obtain critique and advice on a definite universe that they’ve been developing.”

Future Plans

Responses from the first event will help guide future Dungeon Master University sessions. Carl suggested that possible changes could include adding more office hours, making it longer to a longer period, or experimenting with varied class arrangements.

“I hope that we do this frequently,” Carl said. “I really want to see multiple Dungeon Master Universities in a calendar year, in different cities, and in various nations. The response has been overwhelmingly favorable. We're extremely satisfied with current developments and I think it would be fantastic to be able to conduct this in partnership with major events.”