R. Talsorian Games, the publisher behind Cyberpunk RED and The Witcher TRPG, has launched a brand new prehistoric roleplaying game titled Fossilized Violence. Designed by James Hutt, the game is available now in both digital and physical formats, debuting to coincide with Gen Con 2026 in Indianapolis.
Set on the primaeval supercontinent of Pangeon, the game tasks players with defending early humanity from evolving, meat-eating dinosaurs. Players choose from one of four cave civilisations and complete quests across 58 regions. Unusually for modern roleplaying games, Fossilized Violence abandons grid-based tactical combat. Instead, players are instructed to use their hands and fingers to measure distances and aim, actively encouraging the use of plastic dinosaur toys on the game table.
The core resolution system attempts to keep calculations simple. Players roll a stat die and a d4 against a difficulty value or an opponent’s roll. If the d4 lands on a 4, the die explodes, adding another roll to the total.
Despite this push for mathematical simplicity, James Hutt brings his reputation for high-stakes, brutal combat to the prehistoric setting. Fossilized Violence features 28 distinct critical injury tables and one super critical modifier table. Each dinosaur, from the Allosaurus to the Velociraptor, has its own specific injury table and statistics.
Players who survive long enough will see their characters retire as Elders, returning as non-player characters who provide permanent benefits to future generations. Along the way, players can unlock over 140 pieces of gear, with more than 50 weapons illustrated by Dolan Pondsmith.
The rulebook features cover art by Hugo Award-winning artist Bob Eggleton, a map by Kyle Latino, and interior art by Mark Smylie and Lionel Marty, with layout by Nicholas Nacario.
For players wanting to test the mechanics before buying, a free quickstart guide is available to download.
Quick Links
- R. Talsorian Games’ store: Physical | Digital
- DriveThruRPG: Free Quickstart | PDF
