4 D&D Tips from Star Trek TNG’s Eighth Worst Episode | TNG The Loss

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Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/7-S59YL23FU

With an IMDb rating of 6.0, that episode is “The Loss.” It is the 10th episode of the 4th season and originally aired on December 31, 1990. The Enterprise is caught in a field of two-dimensional creatures and, as a result, Counselor Troi loses her empathic abilities.

tng the loss, dnd tips

“The Loss” gets a lot of negative criticism mainly because it is a Troi-centered episode, which I think is unfair. However, it is fair to say that themes in the episode are spelled out in dialogue. Deanna tells us she’s having the same reaction her patient had at the beginning. Deanna says she only see people in 2d and there are 2d creatures. Everything is too heavy-handed and overly dramatic. Marina Sirtis’ performance is uneven, ranging from bland to great. Not a personal favorite, but it shouldn’t be rated this low. I read years ago that the producers did this episode because Troi was almost seemingly written out of the show at this point. That would have been a crime worse than a so-so episode.

Dungeon Master Tip Number One: Curious Situation Turns Dangerous

The Enterprise gets some odd sensor readings and the crew decides to investigate. Then they realize they are trapped. Still curious, they keep investigating until the ship is clearly in danger. We can do this in our D&D games. Dungeon masters can introduce a situation that intrigues the players and seems harmless, then turn it into a struggle of life and death.

Dungeon Master Tip Number Two: Don’t Take Away a Special Ability

The two-dimensional creatures that trap the Enterprise also cause Deanna’s empathic abilities to be taken away. The writers of TNG clearly had no idea how to use Troi’s abilities as evidenced throughout the entire series. It’s hard to think of creative solutions or workarounds if she knows everyone else’s emotions. I get it. It’s difficult. But I don’t think it’s impossible. I know some abilities D&D characters get can seem overpowered, and perhaps they are, but resist the urge to nerf them. Or you may think it’s clever to take away abilities as part of an adventure, but please don’t do it. Players want to use their character’s abilities, let them.

Dungeon Master Tip Number Three: Resolution Happens Too Fast

The instant the Enterprise is free of the field near the end of the episode, Troi immediately gets her empathic powers back. It happens too fast and with little consequence. After the emotional struggle she goes through in the course of the story, it seems too easy at the end for everything to be fixed so quickly. The resolution should take as long as it needs. After a climax, even if the heroes have saved the day, everything shouldn’t just be as it was before. Remember, after the ring was destroyed, Saruman had to be defeated in the Shire.

Dungeon Master Tip Number Four: Something Out of Our Experience

The two-dimensional creatures were an excellent idea. The crew had never encountered anything like it before. The creatures are one of the reasons this episode is memorable. It’s important to remember in D&D that we are dealing with magic and creatures that are otherworldly. It is an interesting creative problem to think about how we can communicate that otherworldliness to our players. Heck, we could even throw in some two-dimensional creatures once and see what happens.

That’s four D&D tips from Star Trek TNG’s eighth-worst episode.

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