Where Dungeon Masters gather to hone their craft under the tutelage of industry professionals. The Dungeon Master University is the first event of its kind, a conference-style retreat focused entirely on the art of Dungeon Mastering. Registration includes all meals on site, enrollment in one core Course, and access to unlimited seminars, targeting a wide array of fields and experience levels so that all participants can challenge themselves and grow in their abilities as a Dungeon Master. Core Courses include Skill Building, Campaign Building, World Building, and Career Building, and are taught by our Faculty Dungeon Masters, who are established in their field.
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Primary Courses run for 2 hours each morning and afternoon, for a total of 8 hours of instructional time. Seminars are 45-minutes, and are offered throughout both days of the event. Game Lab takes place in the evening, and allows Students to run a game of D&D for one of our Faculty Dungeon Masters, and receive their feedback. Students can also sign up for Office Hours with our Faculty, for a half hour of one-on-one questions and answers offering a deeper dive into your questions and explorations as a Dungeon Master.
The DMU takes place in Atlanta, at Oglethorpe University, with accommodation at the JWC Marriott at Lenox.
Registering for the DMU is as simple as selecting your tier and course while purchasing your registration on this page.
Where is the Dungeon Master University?
Oglethorpe University, Atlanta
4484 Peachtree Road NE, Brookhaven, GA 30319
JanUARY 2 & 3, 2026
Registration Tiers
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Registration with one course: Skill Building, Campaign Building, World Building or Career Building.
Open access to all seminars.
Meals on site during event days.
Train tickets from hotel to university.
Access to evening Game Labs, on a space available basis
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Includes all of the above, plus…
Premium access to evening Game Labs
One Office Hour appointment (one ½ hour one-on-one session with a course or seminar Faculty member).
Admission to the VIP welcome reception the evening of January 1st.
Welcome gift pack which includes the official Dungeon Master University Backpack ($250 value).
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Includes everything in Silver and Gold Tiers, plus…
One Office Hour appointment with premium access to Office Hours signups (first choice/ access on signing up for one specific 30 minute session with one specific Faculty member)
Game Audit - run one game during Game Labs for 5 players PLUS one Faculty member as a player who will play in your game and give you professional notes/ coaching afterwards.
Welcome gift pack includes your own Limited Edition Dungeon Master University Varsity Jacket ($175 value).
Primary Courses
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This foundational course delivers a firm grounding in the essential skills required to run engaging, balanced, and collaborative Dungeons & Dragons sessions. Emphasis is on table management and player engagement, equipping DMs to run faster, more exciting combat encounters; handle unexpected player choices on the fly; and deepen their understanding of the D&D action economy. Drawing on principles of creative storytelling, fair adjudication, and real-time problem solving, this course empowers Dungeon Masters to lead with confidence, creativity, and a strong sense of collaborative storytelling.
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This course provides Dungeon Masters with a comprehensive framework for designing and managing memorable and exciting long-form Dungeons & Dragons Campaigns. Emphasizing narrative structure, the course focuses on four key pillars: meta-narrative construction, faction and NPC development, campaign pacing, and the integration of player agency. DMs will learn to craft compelling long-term story arcs, maintain narrative consistency across sessions, and create dynamic factions and NPCs that evolve in response to player choices. Practical tools and guided workshops help DMs structure campaigns that are emotionally engaging, narratively coherent, and responsive to emergent gameplay. Rooted in the tradition of narrative-driven storytelling, this course equips participants to design enduring Campaigns that honor the legacy of immersive roleplay while fostering creative innovation.
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This course equips Dungeon Masters with the tools to create rich, dynamic worlds that elevate player immersion and deliver narrative depth. Through guided instruction and collaborative exercises, DMs will learn to develop engaging settings complete with history, geography, cultures, politics, religions, and magical systems. Emphasis is on designing worlds that support long-term campaign play, heroic fantasy themes, and player agency, while maintaining consistency and internal logic. Students will explore methods for introducing complexity and sharing information without overwhelming players, balancing detail with usability, and weaving world lore organically into gameplay. Whether creating a single city or an entire plane of existence, this course provides the creative structure and practical guidance to help DMs build vibrant, living worlds for their long-term campaigns.
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This course is designed for Dungeon Masters seeking to turn their passion for D&D into a successful and sustainable creative career. Students will learn from industry professionals how to design, refine, and publish original content, from adventures and campaign settings to supplemental materials, while developing the marketing and business knowledge needed to succeed in the gaming industry. Topics include self-publishing strategies, running games for hire, content monetization, and building an authentic online presence through streaming, podcasting, community engagement, and professional networking. Emphasis is also placed on collaboration with publishers and licensing partners, navigating contracts, and managing freelance logistics such as rates, invoicing, and intellectual property rights. Ideal for aspiring professional DMs, writers, and designers, this course provides a practical roadmap for transforming game mastery into creative entrepreneurship.
The Faculty
FAQ - FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Fundamentals FAQ
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The Dungeon Master University is a gathering for all people who run or want to run games of Dungeons & Dragons, for fun or professionally or anywhere in between, who want to hone their craft with the guidance and wisdom of other experienced Dungeon Masters. All activities are centered around the art of Dungeon Mastering, and all Faculty are seasoned and knowledgeable Dungeon Masters themselves. The event is 2 full instructional days, from morning to evening, of learning, sharing, and enjoying the company of fellow Dungeon Masters in a weekend escape dedicated to this vocation.
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The Dungeon Master Univsity is produced by Tabletop Vacations Inc. the officially licensed partner of D&D for vacation events. Tabletop Vacations, or TVI, are the people responsible for D&D in a Castle and D&D Weekends, both immersive gaming retreats built around creating the greatest possible game of Dungeons & Dragons in an all-inclusive Vacation. TVI is owned, operated and staffed by a small team of passionate D&D nerds who want to share their love of this game with the world and bring perople together over this most magical of entertainments.
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The Campus for the Dungeon Master University will be at the beautiful Oglethorpe University, in Atlanta Georgia. All Courses, Seminars, Presentations, Meals and Game Lab will take place on Campus. The Welcome Reception, for all students registering at the Gold or Platinum Tiers, as well as Registration Check-in for ALL students, and hotel partner accommodations will be at our Hotel Partner, the JWC Marriott in Buckhead, Atlanta, which is connected to the Campus by the Marda Train. All students will receive a train pass allowing them to travel freely between the Hotel and the Campus throughout the Event.
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All Faculty at the Dungeon Master University are industry professionals with significant experience in the subjects they are instructing. You can read about each instructor by clicking on their name.
Core Course Faculty:
Campaign Building - Kelly Lynne D'Angelo and Amanda Hamon
World Building - Monte Cook and Keith Baker
Career Building - Clint McElroy, Elisa Teague, Hunter Fell (Start Playing Games), and Kage (Drive-Thru RPG)
Skill Building - B. Dave Walters and Mike Tinney
Additional "Seminar" Faculty may be added at a future date, who will be offering optional Seminars on various subjects relting to the art of Dungeon Mastering. Access to Seminars is included in all Registration Tiers. -
The Dungeon Master University is two full instructional days, going from 9am to 11pm+ on January 2 and 3, plus Registration Day on January 1. For those registering with the Gold or Platinum options, there is a Welcome Reception with Faculty on the evening of January 1. Students should plan to be in Atlanta from Thursday, January 1 to Sunday, January 4 in order to be present for all programming.
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Registration at the Dungeon Master University includes your choice of one Core Course, access to all seminars, breakfast, lunch and dinner on all instructional days, entrance to the Keynote Address, and the opportunity to play in "Game Lab' - evening one-shots run by fellow students and participated in by Faculty.
Sliver Tier Registration - $995
Includes all of the aboveGold Tier Registration - $1500 (100 available)
Includes all of the above, plus early access to sign up for Game Lab, one appointment for Office Hours (hal-hour, one-on-one session with a Faculty member), admission to the Welcome Reception on January 1, and a welcome gift pack including a custom Dungeon Master University backpack valued at over $250.Platinum Tier - $2,250 (32 available)
Includes everything in Silver and Gold Tiers, plus a Game Audit - the chance to run a game at Game Lab with one of our Faculty as a player, and to receive feedback on your game from that Factulty. Platinum Tier students will also receive a Dungeon Master University exclusive Varsity Jacket valued at $175, and first access, before all other students, to choose their Office Hours with the Faculty of their choice.
Courses FAQ
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Dungeon Master University offers four different course options, each focused on a specific area of DMing: Worldbuilding, Campaign Design, Career Building, and Skill Building. You'll find complete descriptions of each course in the DMU catalogue [URL to web page]. Each course is 4 hours per day over 2 days, for a total of 8 hours.
Additionally, DMU offers a series of shorter seminars, each 1 hour and covering a wide array of topics, from Puzzles to Encounters to NPC building. Check the course catalogue for the current list of available seminars [URL]. -
Full courses (Worldbuilding, Campaign Design, Career Building, and Skill Building) are each 4 hours per day, in 2 hour blocs, for a total of 8 hours over two days.
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Dungeon Master University helps you level up your skills through structured courses, expert instruction, and hands-on exercises that focus on storytelling, player engagement, campaign design, improvisation, and more. Whether you're running home games or aiming for professional-level mastery, DMU gives you the tools, feedback, and confidence to create richer, more rewarding experiences at the table.
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All students receive access to session slides, handouts, outlines, templates, and optional reading materials. Many courses also include video recordings, worksheets, and prep frameworks designed by working DMs. Exact materials vary by course and faculty instructor.
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Courses are deep-dives that are focused on a specific but broader area of DMing across two days in the classroom. They are designed to be fully interactive, with more direct engagement with the faculty instructor and your fellow students.
Seminars are shorter lecture-style presentations that focus on a specific topic.