diff --git a/stepmania/src/LuaFunctions.h b/stepmania/src/LuaFunctions.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4a50b3dfcd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/stepmania/src/LuaFunctions.h
@@ -0,0 +1,85 @@
+#ifndef LUA_FUNCTIONS_H
+#define LUA_FUNCTIONS_H
+
+#include "LuaHelpers.h"
+
+extern "C"
+{
+#include <lua.h>
+#include <lualib.h>
+}
+
+/* Argument helpers: */
+#define LUA_ASSERT( expr, err ) if( !(expr) ) { Lua::Fail( L, err ); }
+/* require exactly n arguments */
+#define REQ_ARGS(func, need) { \
+	const int args = lua_gettop(L); \
+	LUA_ASSERT( args == need, ssprintf( func " requires exactly %i argument%s, got %i", need, need == 1? "":"s", args) ); \
+}
+/* argument n must be of type "type" */
+#define REQ_ARG(func, n, type) { \
+	LUA_ASSERT( lua_is##type(L, n), ssprintf("Argument %i to " func " must be %s", n, #type) ); }
+/* argument n must be a number between minimum...maximum */
+#define REQ_ARG_NUMBER_RANGE(func, n, minimum, maximum) { \
+	REQ_ARG(func, n, number); \
+	const int val = (int) lua_tonumber( L, n ); \
+	LUA_ASSERT( val >= minimum && val <= maximum, ssprintf("Argument %i to " func " must be an integer between %i and %i (got %i)", n,  minimum, maximum, val) ); \
+}
+#define LUA_RETURN( expr ) { Lua::PushStack( L, expr ); return 1; }
+
+/* Helpers to create common functions: */
+/* Functions that take no arguments: */
+#define LuaFunction_NoArgs( func, call ) \
+int LuaFunc_##func( lua_State *L ) { \
+	REQ_ARGS( #func, 0 ); \
+	LUA_RETURN( call ); \
+} \
+LuaFunction( func ); /* register it */
+
+#define LuaFunction_IntInt( func, call ) \
+int LuaFunc_##func( lua_State *L ) { \
+	REQ_ARGS( #func, 2 ); \
+	REQ_ARG( #func, 1, number ); \
+	REQ_ARG( #func, 2, number ); \
+	const int a1 = int(lua_tonumber( L, 1 )); \
+	const int a2 = int(lua_tonumber( L, 2 )); \
+	LUA_RETURN( call ); \
+} \
+LuaFunction( func ); /* register it */
+
+#define LuaFunction_Str( func, call ) \
+int LuaFunc_##func( lua_State *L ) { \
+	REQ_ARGS( #func, 1 ); \
+	REQ_ARG( #func, 1, string ); \
+	CString str; \
+	Lua::PopStack( L, str ); \
+	LUA_RETURN( call ); \
+} \
+LuaFunction( func ); /* register it */
+
+/* Functions that take a single PlayerNumber argument: */
+#define LuaFunction_PlayerNumber( func, call ) \
+int LuaFunc_##func( lua_State *L ) { \
+	REQ_ARGS( #func, 1 ); \
+	REQ_ARG_NUMBER_RANGE( #func, 1, 1, NUM_PLAYERS ); \
+	const PlayerNumber pn = (PlayerNumber) (int(lua_tonumber( L, -1 ))-1); \
+	LUA_RETURN( call ); \
+} \
+LuaFunction( func ); /* register it */
+
+
+/* Linked list of functions we make available to Lua. */
+struct LuaFunctionList
+{
+	LuaFunctionList( CString name, lua_CFunction func );
+	CString name;
+	lua_CFunction func;
+	LuaFunctionList *next;
+} extern *g_LuaFunctionList;
+#define LuaFunction( func ) static LuaFunctionList g_##func( #func, LuaFunc_##func )
+
+#endif
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2004 by the person(s) listed below.  All rights reserved.
+ *	Glenn Maynard
+ */
diff --git a/stepmania/src/LuaHelpers.cpp b/stepmania/src/LuaHelpers.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..0ca2656257
--- /dev/null
+++ b/stepmania/src/LuaHelpers.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,183 @@
+#include "global.h"
+#include "LuaHelpers.h"
+#include "LuaFunctions.h"
+#include "RageUtil.h"
+#include "RageLog.h"
+
+#include <setjmp.h>
+#include <assert.h>
+
+LuaFunctionList *g_LuaFunctionList = NULL;
+
+#if defined(_WINDOWS)
+	#pragma comment(lib, "lua-5.0/lua.lib")
+
+	/* "interaction between '_setjmp' and C++ object destruction is non-portable"
+	 * We don't care; we'll throw a fatal exception immediately anyway. */
+	#pragma warning (disable : 4611)
+#endif
+
+
+
+struct ChunkReaderData
+{
+	const CString *buf;
+	bool done;
+	ChunkReaderData() { buf = NULL; done = false; }
+};
+
+const char *ChunkReaderString( lua_State *L, void *ptr, size_t *size )
+{
+	ChunkReaderData *data = (ChunkReaderData *) ptr;
+	if( data->done )
+		return NULL;
+
+	data->done = true;
+
+	*size = data->buf->size();
+	const char *ret = data->buf->data();
+	
+	return ret;
+}
+
+void Lua::PushStack( lua_State *L, int out )
+{
+	/* XXX: stack bounds */
+	lua_pushnumber( L, out );
+}
+
+void Lua::PushStack( lua_State *L, bool out )
+{
+	/* XXX: stack bounds */
+	lua_pushboolean( L, out );
+}
+
+
+void Lua::PushStack( lua_State *L, void *out )
+{
+	if( out )
+		lua_pushlightuserdata( L, out );
+	else
+		lua_pushnil( L );
+}
+
+void Lua::PushStack( lua_State *L, const CString &out )
+{
+	lua_pushstring( L, out );
+}
+
+void Lua::PopStack( lua_State *L, CString &out )
+{
+	/* There must be at least one entry on the stack. */
+	ASSERT( lua_gettop(L) > 0 );
+	ASSERT( lua_isstring(L, -1) );
+
+	out = lua_tostring( L, -1 );
+	lua_pop( L, -1 );
+}
+
+void LoadFromString( lua_State *L, const CString &str )
+{
+	ChunkReaderData data;
+	data.buf = &str;
+	int ret = lua_load( L, ChunkReaderString, &data, "in" );
+
+	if( ret )
+	{
+		CString err;
+		Lua::PopStack( L, err );
+		RageException::Throw( "Error loading script \"%s\": %s", str.c_str(), err.c_str() );
+	}
+}
+
+
+
+
+
+static jmp_buf jbuf;
+static CString jbuf_error;
+
+int LuaPanic( lua_State *L )
+{
+	CString err;
+	Lua::PopStack( L, err );
+
+	/* Grr.  We can't throw an exception from here: it'll explode going through the
+	 * Lua stack for some reason.  Get it off the stack with a longjmp and throw
+	 * an exception from there. */
+	jbuf_error = err;
+	longjmp( jbuf, 1 );
+}
+
+bool Lua::RunExpression( const CString &str )
+{
+try {
+	if( setjmp(jbuf) )
+		throw jbuf_error;
+	lua_State *L = lua_open();
+	ASSERT( L );
+
+	lua_atpanic( L, LuaPanic );
+	
+	luaopen_base( L );
+	lua_settop(L, 0); // luaopen_* pushes stuff onto the stack that we don't need
+
+	Lua::RegisterFunctions( L );
+
+	LoadFromString( L, "return " + str );
+	RAGE_ASSERT_M( lua_gettop(L) == 1, ssprintf("%i", lua_gettop(L)) );
+
+	int ret = lua_pcall(L, 0, 1, 0);
+	if( ret )
+	{
+		CString err;
+		Lua::PopStack( L, err );
+		RageException::Throw( err );
+	}
+
+	RAGE_ASSERT_M( lua_gettop(L) == 1, ssprintf("%i", lua_gettop(L)) );
+	bool result = !!lua_toboolean( L, -1 );
+	lua_pop( L, -1 );
+
+	lua_close( L );
+
+	return result;
+} catch( const CString &e ) {
+	RageException::Throw( "Error running \"%s\": %s", str.c_str(), e.c_str() );
+}
+}
+
+void Lua::Fail( lua_State *L, const CString &err )
+{
+	lua_pushstring( L, err );
+	lua_error( L );
+}
+
+void Lua::RegisterFunctions( lua_State *L )
+{
+	for( const LuaFunctionList *p = g_LuaFunctionList; p; p=p->next )
+		lua_register( L, p->name, p->func );
+}
+
+LuaFunctionList::LuaFunctionList( CString name_, lua_CFunction func_ )
+{
+	name = name_;
+	func = func_;
+	next = g_LuaFunctionList;
+	g_LuaFunctionList = this;
+}
+
+
+LuaFunction_NoArgs( MonthOfYear, GetLocalTime().tm_mon );
+LuaFunction_NoArgs( DayOfMonth, GetLocalTime().tm_mday );
+LuaFunction_NoArgs( Hour, GetLocalTime().tm_hour );
+LuaFunction_NoArgs( Minute, GetLocalTime().tm_min );
+LuaFunction_NoArgs( Second, GetLocalTime().tm_sec );
+LuaFunction_NoArgs( Year, GetLocalTime().tm_year+1900 );
+LuaFunction_NoArgs( Weekday, GetLocalTime().tm_wday );
+LuaFunction_NoArgs( DayOfYear, GetLocalTime().tm_yday );
+
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2004 by the person(s) listed below.  All rights reserved.
+ *	Glenn Maynard
+ */
diff --git a/stepmania/src/LuaHelpers.h b/stepmania/src/LuaHelpers.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..69042f6b04
--- /dev/null
+++ b/stepmania/src/LuaHelpers.h
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+#ifndef LUA_HELPERS_H
+#define LUA_HELPERS_H
+
+struct lua_State;
+namespace Lua
+{
+	bool RunExpression( const CString &str );
+
+	void Fail( lua_State *L, const CString &err );
+
+	/* Add all registered functions into L. */
+	void RegisterFunctions( lua_State *L );
+
+	void PushStack( lua_State *L, bool out );
+	void PushStack( lua_State *L, int out );
+	void PushStack( lua_State *L, void *out );
+	void PushStack( lua_State *L, const CString &out );
+	void PopStack( lua_State *L, CString &out );
+};
+
+#endif
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2004 by the person(s) listed below.  All rights reserved.
+ *	Glenn Maynard
+ */