Monte Cook and Keith Baker Are Teaching Workshops at DMU

Beginning in 2018, Tabletop Vacations has been organizing deeply engaging experiences where expert DMs manage Dungeons & Dragons games in historic castles in Britain and at Landoll’s Mohican Castle. The comprehensive packages are widely appreciated among long-time dungeon masters who seldom have the moment to actually play themselves, and they often seek advice from seasoned professionals on topics ranging from improvisation and creating challenges to dealing with tough scenarios at the table.

In response, the coordinators began developing a systematic approach to answer these inquiries, which led to the creation of DMU. The first session is planned for January 2-3, 2026 at Oglethorpe University.

“It's possible to view countless online tutorials on almost every theme and acquire valuable insights, but the idea was that nothing truly replaces a live, hands-on session together with fellow DMs, where real-time interaction with seasoned educators and your fellow DMs likely in the same boat and seek to enhance their abilities,” stated Jason Carl.

Available Classes and Pricing Tiers

DMs can select packages ranging from just under $1,000 to two thousand five hundred dollars, based on the degree of interaction they desire with the instructors. The base tier includes selection from four classes:

• Skill Building: Focuses on the basics of running D&D.
• Story Arc Development: Centers on crafting long-running games.
• Setting Creation: Highlights the development of worlds.
• Industry Advancement: Tailored to dungeon masters who want to learn more about the roleplaying business.

Each course includes two days of classwork divided across a weekend.

“The workshops are created so that you leave with immediate practical outcomes, probably greater confidence, and numerous applicable methods,” Carl noted. “They’re not just lectures and they exceed pre-recorded material. These classes that you can attend, gain knowledge from, and then return to your group the following week and put into practice in your local game.”

Professional Teachers

Most classes are led by duo of instructors. Worldbuilding is taught by the founder of Monte Cook Games and the creator of Eberron, both teaching the art of worldbuilding.

Professional development presents four different teachers, such as an author on gaming puzzles, an entertainment professional, and a pioneering DM. The additional faculty is designed to offer targeted guidance to attendees with particular aims.

“Certain participants aim to start their own D&D actual play and display their adventures with the world, several plan to produce and write original content,” Carl said. “Some just want to ask, What does it take to be a DM at a program like a castle event? Which abilities that I need? Can anyone do it?”

Advanced Options

A $1,500 enhanced option includes access to a opening gathering, a introductory package, and a half-hour consultation appointment with one of the faculty. This marks the inaugural DMU session, though the team has previously run similar events during breaks between adventures at their premium gatherings.

“It would be possible to organize an complete event just on one-on-one meetings for professional dungeon masters,” Carl said. “It's unclear if that’s the most effective utilization of each attendee's hours – I think the structured learning and the practical exercises is extremely important – but I believe it’s going to be among the most sought-after parts of the program.”

The $2,500 top package offers an 60-minute private session and the opportunity to lead a session for five players plus an instructor, who will then offer feedback and instruction.

“The goal is for the instructor to evaluate any element is concerned with: I struggle with improvisation or I encounter obstacles in certain battle scenarios. May I present a scenario for you and receive input on where I excel and need improvement?” Carl explained. “Alternatively they want to obtain critique and information on a particular setting that they’ve been building.”

Coming Developments

Input from the inaugural session will help determine upcoming academy workshops. Carl mentioned that likely modifications could include expanding one-on-one sessions, making it longer to a longer period, or trying out alternative workshop formats.

“I hope that we do this very often,” Carl said. “I truly hope to see numerous academy events in a given year, in different cities, and in various nations. The response has been overwhelmingly favorable. We're extremely satisfied with the results so far and I feel it would be amazing to be able to organize these in conjunction with big conventions.”