diff --git a/examples/playbooks/roletest.yml b/examples/playbooks/roletest.yml
index 9a7cede6a60..5370c004ebc 100644
--- a/examples/playbooks/roletest.yml
+++ b/examples/playbooks/roletest.yml
@@ -25,6 +25,12 @@
 ---
 
   - hosts: all
+
+    set_up:
+
+        # set up tasks are executed prior to roles.
+        - local_action: shell echo "hi this is a setup step about {{ inventory_hostname }}"
+
     roles:
 
     # a role can be listed flat like this: 
@@ -51,4 +57,11 @@
 
         - shell: echo 'this is a loose task'
 
+    tear_down:
+
+        # just to provide a syntactic mirroring to 'set_up', tear_down runs dead last in the play.
+
+        - local_action: shell echo 'this is a teardown task about {{ inventory_hostname }}'
+
+
 
diff --git a/lib/ansible/playbook/play.py b/lib/ansible/playbook/play.py
index 82e87eced17..b1fc697611b 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/playbook/play.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/playbook/play.py
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ class Play(object):
        'hosts', 'name', 'vars', 'vars_prompt', 'vars_files',
        'tasks', 'handlers', 'user', 'port', 'include',
        'sudo', 'sudo_user', 'connection', 'tags', 'gather_facts', 'serial',
-       'any_errors_fatal', 'roles'
+       'any_errors_fatal', 'roles', 'set_up', 'tear_down'
     ]
 
     # *************************************************
@@ -135,6 +135,12 @@ class Play(object):
         new_handlers = []
         new_vars_files = []
 
+        set_up = ds.get('set_up', None)
+        if type(set_up) != list:
+            set_up = []
+        for x in set_up:
+            new_tasks.append(x)
+
         # variables if the role was parameterized (i.e. given as a hash) 
         has_dict = {}
 
@@ -180,15 +186,22 @@ class Play(object):
                 new_vars_files.append(vars_file)
 
         tasks = ds.get('tasks', None)
+        tear_down = ds.get('tear_down', None)
+
         handlers = ds.get('handlers', None)
         vars_files = ds.get('vars_files', None)
+
         if type(tasks) != list:
             tasks = []
         if type(handlers) != list:
             handlers = []
         if type(vars_files) != list:
             vars_files = []
+        if type(tear_down) != list:
+            tear_down = []
+
         new_tasks.extend(tasks)
+        new_tasks.extend(tear_down)
         new_handlers.extend(handlers)
         new_vars_files.extend(vars_files)
         ds['tasks'] = new_tasks
diff --git a/lib/ansible/utils/plugins.py b/lib/ansible/utils/plugins.py
index e756e3bcd56..7a58775d4a6 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/utils/plugins.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/utils/plugins.py
@@ -61,6 +61,16 @@ class PluginLoader(object):
 
         self._extra_dirs = []
 
+    def print_paths(self):
+        ''' Returns a string suitable for printing of the search path '''
+
+        # Uses a list to get the order right
+        ret = []
+        for i in self._get_paths():
+            if i not in ret:
+                ret.append(i)
+        return os.pathsep.join(ret)
+
     def _get_package_path(self):
         ''' Gets the path of a Python package '''