diff --git a/OpenRa.Game/GameRules/NewUnitInfo.cs b/OpenRa.Game/GameRules/NewUnitInfo.cs
index 6611b48fb0..b69d5e8745 100755
--- a/OpenRa.Game/GameRules/NewUnitInfo.cs
+++ b/OpenRa.Game/GameRules/NewUnitInfo.cs
@@ -3,6 +3,9 @@ using System.Collections.Generic;
 using System.Linq;
 using OpenRa.FileFormats;
 using OpenRa.Traits;
+using System.Reflection;
+using IjwFramework.Types;
+using System.IO;
 
 namespace OpenRa.GameRules
 {
@@ -49,16 +52,25 @@ namespace OpenRa.GameRules
 			return node;
 		}
 
+		// todo: use mod metadata to do this
+		static Pair<Assembly, string>[] ModAssemblies = 
+		{ 
+			Pair.New( typeof(ITraitInfo).Assembly, typeof(ITraitInfo).Namespace ),
+			Pair.New( Assembly.LoadFile(Path.GetFullPath(@"mods\ra\OpenRa.Mods.RA.dll")), "OpenRa.Mods.RA" ) 
+		};
+
 		static ITraitInfo LoadTraitInfo(string traitName, MiniYaml my)
 		{
-			var fullTypeName = typeof(ITraitInfo).Namespace + "." + traitName + "Info";
-			var info = (ITraitInfo)typeof(ITraitInfo).Assembly.CreateInstance(fullTypeName);
+			foreach (var mod in ModAssemblies)
+			{
+				var fullTypeName = mod.Second + "." + traitName + "Info";
+				var info = (ITraitInfo)mod.First.CreateInstance(fullTypeName);
+				if (info == null) continue;
+				FieldLoader.Load(info, my);
+				return info;
+			}
 
-			if (info == null)
-				throw new NotImplementedException("Missing traitinfo type `{0}`".F(fullTypeName));
-
-			FieldLoader.Load(info, my);
-			return info;
+			throw new InvalidOperationException("Cannot locate trait: {0}".F(traitName));
 		}
 	}
 }
diff --git a/OpenRa.Game/OpenRa.Game.csproj b/OpenRa.Game/OpenRa.Game.csproj
index 4f3afcfc26..8e756e5a09 100644
--- a/OpenRa.Game/OpenRa.Game.csproj
+++ b/OpenRa.Game/OpenRa.Game.csproj
@@ -206,7 +206,6 @@
     <Compile Include="Traits\Activities\Turn.cs" />
     <Compile Include="Traits\Activities\UndeployMcv.cs" />
     <Compile Include="Traits\Activities\UnloadCargo.cs" />
-    <Compile Include="Traits\Mine.cs" />
     <Compile Include="Traits\AttackBase.cs" />
     <Compile Include="Traits\AttackFrontal.cs" />
     <Compile Include="Traits\AttackHeli.cs" />
@@ -237,8 +236,6 @@
     <Compile Include="Traits\IronCurtain.cs" />
     <Compile Include="Traits\IronCurtainable.cs" />
     <Compile Include="Traits\LightPaletteRotator.cs" />
-    <Compile Include="Traits\MineImmune.cs" />
-    <Compile Include="Traits\Minelayer.cs" />
     <Compile Include="Traits\LimitedAmmo.cs" />
     <Compile Include="Traits\Passenger.cs" />
     <Compile Include="Traits\ProvidesRadar.cs" />
diff --git a/OpenRa.Game/Traits/Mine.cs b/OpenRa.Game/Traits/Mine.cs
deleted file mode 100644
index 34188ff23f..0000000000
--- a/OpenRa.Game/Traits/Mine.cs
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,8 +0,0 @@
-using System.Collections.Generic;
-using System.Linq;
-using OpenRa.Effects;
-
-namespace OpenRa.Traits
-{
-
-}
diff --git a/OpenRa.Game/Traits/MineImmune.cs b/OpenRa.Game/Traits/MineImmune.cs
deleted file mode 100644
index 79f1140290..0000000000
--- a/OpenRa.Game/Traits/MineImmune.cs
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,5 +0,0 @@
-
-namespace OpenRa.Traits
-{
-	
-}
diff --git a/OpenRa.Game/Traits/Minelayer.cs b/OpenRa.Game/Traits/Minelayer.cs
deleted file mode 100644
index 6909689b24..0000000000
--- a/OpenRa.Game/Traits/Minelayer.cs
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,5 +0,0 @@
-using System.Linq;
-
-namespace OpenRa.Traits
-{
-}
diff --git a/OpenRa.Mods.RA/Mine.cs b/OpenRa.Mods.RA/Mine.cs
index f38d61fc9c..e9f85bb1cf 100644
--- a/OpenRa.Mods.RA/Mine.cs
+++ b/OpenRa.Mods.RA/Mine.cs
@@ -1,9 +1,7 @@
-using System;
-using System.Collections.Generic;
+using System.Collections.Generic;
 using System.Linq;
-using System.Text;
-using OpenRa.Traits;
 using OpenRa.Effects;
+using OpenRa.Traits;
 
 namespace OpenRa.Mods.RA
 {
@@ -54,7 +52,4 @@ namespace OpenRa.Mods.RA
 
 		public IEnumerable<int2> OccupiedCells() { yield return self.Location; }
 	}
-
-	class MineImmuneInfo : StatelessTraitInfo<MineImmune> { }
-	class MineImmune { }
 }
diff --git a/OpenRa.Mods.RA/MineImmune.cs b/OpenRa.Mods.RA/MineImmune.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..1f4b51edb3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/OpenRa.Mods.RA/MineImmune.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+using OpenRa.Traits;
+
+namespace OpenRa.Mods.RA
+{
+	class MineImmuneInfo : StatelessTraitInfo<MineImmune> { }
+	class MineImmune { }
+}
diff --git a/OpenRa.Mods.RA/Minelayer.cs b/OpenRa.Mods.RA/Minelayer.cs
index 6dd7a915e6..3280c3f72f 100644
--- a/OpenRa.Mods.RA/Minelayer.cs
+++ b/OpenRa.Mods.RA/Minelayer.cs
@@ -1,20 +1,11 @@
-using System;
-using System.Collections.Generic;
-using System.Linq;
-using System.Text;
+using System.Linq;
 using OpenRa.Traits;
-using OpenRa;
 
 namespace OpenRa.Mods.RA
 {
-	class MinelayerInfo : ITraitInfo
+	class MinelayerInfo : StatelessTraitInfo<Minelayer>
 	{
 		public readonly string Mine = "minv";
-
-		public object Create(Actor self)
-		{
-			return new Minelayer();
-		}
 	}
 
 	class Minelayer : IIssueOrder, IResolveOrder
diff --git a/OpenRa.Mods.RA/OpenRa.Mods.RA.csproj b/OpenRa.Mods.RA/OpenRa.Mods.RA.csproj
index 0054171f18..88746d0e66 100644
--- a/OpenRa.Mods.RA/OpenRa.Mods.RA.csproj
+++ b/OpenRa.Mods.RA/OpenRa.Mods.RA.csproj
@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@
   </ItemGroup>
   <ItemGroup>
     <Compile Include="Mine.cs" />
+    <Compile Include="MineImmune.cs" />
     <Compile Include="Minelayer.cs" />
     <Compile Include="Properties\AssemblyInfo.cs" />
   </ItemGroup>
@@ -67,4 +68,8 @@
   <Target Name="AfterBuild">
   </Target>
   -->
+  <PropertyGroup>
+    <PostBuildEvent>mkdir "$(SolutionDir)mods/ra/"
+copy "$(TargetPath)" "$(SolutionDir)mods/ra/"</PostBuildEvent>
+  </PropertyGroup>
 </Project>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/mods/ra/OpenRa.Mods.RA.dll b/mods/ra/OpenRa.Mods.RA.dll
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..eabdbe9fd0
Binary files /dev/null and b/mods/ra/OpenRa.Mods.RA.dll differ