diff --git a/playbooks/base.yaml b/playbooks/base.yaml
index 814e2f663c..e0509bd169 100644
--- a/playbooks/base.yaml
+++ b/playbooks/base.yaml
@@ -2,4 +2,9 @@
   roles:
     - users
     - base-repos
+
+# Split into two plays so that the update apt cache handler fires
+# before we run base-server
+- hosts: "!disabled"
+  roles:
     - base-server
diff --git a/playbooks/group_vars/all.yaml b/playbooks/group_vars/all.yaml
index cac3158d80..db608c86f6 100644
--- a/playbooks/group_vars/all.yaml
+++ b/playbooks/group_vars/all.yaml
@@ -3,6 +3,13 @@ copy_puppet: true
 manifest: /opt/system-config/production/manifests/site.pp
 manifest_base: /opt/system-config
 puppet_logdest: syslog
+distro_lookup_path:
+  - "{{ ansible_facts.distribution }}.{{ ansible_facts.lsb.codename }}.{{ ansible_facts.architecture }}.yaml"
+  - "{{ ansible_facts.distribution }}.{{ ansible_facts.lsb.codename }}.yaml"
+  - "{{ ansible_facts.distribution }}.{{ ansible_facts.architecture }}.yaml"
+  - "{{ ansible_facts.distribution }}.yaml"
+  - "{{ ansible_facts.os_family }}.yaml"
+  - default.yaml
 
 puppet:
   logdest: syslog
diff --git a/playbooks/roles/base-repos/tasks/main.yaml b/playbooks/roles/base-repos/tasks/main.yaml
index 779f0614b3..ca15dce871 100644
--- a/playbooks/roles/base-repos/tasks/main.yaml
+++ b/playbooks/roles/base-repos/tasks/main.yaml
@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 - name: Set up additional repos
-  include_tasks: "{{ lookup('first_found', file_list) }}"
+  include_tasks: "{{ item }}"
   vars:
-    file_list:
-      - "{{ ansible_facts.distribution }}.yaml"
-      - "{{ ansible_facts.os_family }}.yaml"
+    params:
+      files:
+        - "{{ ansible_facts.distribution }}.yaml"
+        - "{{ ansible_facts.os_family }}.yaml"
+      skip: true
+  loop: "{{ query('first_found', params) }}"
diff --git a/playbooks/roles/base-server/defaults/main.yaml b/playbooks/roles/base-server/defaults/main.yaml
index 4c297ef319..394dab26ad 100644
--- a/playbooks/roles/base-server/defaults/main.yaml
+++ b/playbooks/roles/base-server/defaults/main.yaml
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@ bastion_ipv4: 23.253.245.198,23.253.234.219
 bastion_ipv6: 2001:4800:7818:101:3c21:a454:23ed:4072,2001:4800:7817:103:be76:4eff:fe04:5a1d
 base_packages:
   - at
-  - emacs-nox
   - git
   - lvm2
   - parted
@@ -10,5 +9,4 @@ base_packages:
   - rsyslog
   - strace
   - tcpdump
-  - vim-nox
   - wget
diff --git a/playbooks/roles/base-server/tasks/RedHat.yaml b/playbooks/roles/base-server/tasks/RedHat.yaml
index f747f1982b..174fd7c333 100644
--- a/playbooks/roles/base-server/tasks/RedHat.yaml
+++ b/playbooks/roles/base-server/tasks/RedHat.yaml
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@
   service:
     name: ntpdate
     enabled: yes
-    state: running
 
 - name: Configure yum cron
   copy:
@@ -19,4 +18,4 @@
   service:
     name: yum-cron
     enabled: yes
-    state: running
+    state: started
diff --git a/playbooks/roles/base-server/tasks/main.yaml b/playbooks/roles/base-server/tasks/main.yaml
index d305d4f9d9..b7ae08dc8f 100644
--- a/playbooks/roles/base-server/tasks/main.yaml
+++ b/playbooks/roles/base-server/tasks/main.yaml
@@ -5,13 +5,12 @@
   loop: '{{ base_packages }}'
 
 - name: Include OS-specific variables
-  include_vars: "{{ lookup('first_found', file_list) }}"
+  include_vars: "{{ lookup('first_found', params) }}"
   vars:
-    file_list:
-      - "{{ ansible_facts.distribution }}.{{ ansible_facts.architecture }}.yaml"
-      - "{{ ansible_facts.distribution }}.yaml"
-      - "{{ ansible_facts.os_family }}.yaml"
-      - "default.yaml"
+    params:
+      files: "{{ distro_lookup_path }}"
+      paths:
+        - 'vars'
 
 - name: Install distro specific packages
   package:
@@ -56,8 +55,4 @@
 - name: Include OS-specific tasks
   include_tasks: "{{ lookup('first_found', file_list) }}"
   vars:
-    file_list:
-      - "{{ ansible_facts.distribution }}.{{ ansible_facts.lsb.codename }}.{{ ansible_facts.architecture }}.yaml"
-      - "{{ ansible_facts.distribution }}.{{ ansible_facts.architecture }}.yaml"
-      - "{{ ansible_facts.distribution }}.yaml"
-      - "{{ ansible_facts.os_family }}.yaml"
+    file_list: "{{ distro_lookup_path }}"
diff --git a/playbooks/roles/base-server/vars/Debian.yaml b/playbooks/roles/base-server/vars/Debian.yaml
index d6e870666f..7ad2e9e6c1 100644
--- a/playbooks/roles/base-server/vars/Debian.yaml
+++ b/playbooks/roles/base-server/vars/Debian.yaml
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
 distro_packages:
   - dnsutils
+  - emacs-nox
   - iputils-ping
+  - vim-nox
diff --git a/playbooks/roles/base-server/vars/RedHat.yaml b/playbooks/roles/base-server/vars/RedHat.yaml
index b7c79ba837..b9d400d471 100644
--- a/playbooks/roles/base-server/vars/RedHat.yaml
+++ b/playbooks/roles/base-server/vars/RedHat.yaml
@@ -1,9 +1,11 @@
-- distro_packages:
+distro_packages:
   - bind-utils
+  - emacs-nox
   - iputils
   # Utils in ntp-perl are included in Debian's ntp package; we
   # add it here for consistency.  See also
   # https://tickets.puppetlabs.com/browse/MODULES-3660
   - ntp-perl
   - ntpdate
+  - vim-minimal
   - yum-cron
diff --git a/playbooks/roles/base-server/vars/Ubuntu.trusty.yaml b/playbooks/roles/base-server/vars/Ubuntu.trusty.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e4af7be421
--- /dev/null
+++ b/playbooks/roles/base-server/vars/Ubuntu.trusty.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+distro_packages:
+  - dnsutils
+  - emacs23-nox
+  - iputils-ping
+  - vim-nox
diff --git a/playbooks/roles/exim/tasks/main.yaml b/playbooks/roles/exim/tasks/main.yaml
index c3d6a43935..db49c9b43f 100644
--- a/playbooks/roles/exim/tasks/main.yaml
+++ b/playbooks/roles/exim/tasks/main.yaml
@@ -1,22 +1,18 @@
 - name: Include OS-specific variables
-  include_vars: "{{ lookup('first_found', file_list) }}"
-  vars:
-    file_list:
-      - "{{ ansible_facts.distribution }}.{{ ansible_facts.architecture }}.yaml"
-      - "{{ ansible_facts.distribution }}.yaml"
-      - "{{ ansible_facts.os_family }}.yaml"
-      - "default.yaml"
-
-- name: Include OS-specific tasks
-  include_tasks: "{{ lookup('first_found', params) }}"
+  include_vars: "{{ lookup('first_found', params) }}"
   vars:
     params:
-      files:
-        - "{{ ansible_facts.distribution }}.{{ ansible_facts.lsb.codename }}.{{ ansible_facts.architecture }}.yaml"
-        - "{{ ansible_facts.distribution }}.{{ ansible_facts.architecture }}.yaml"
-        - "{{ ansible_facts.distribution }}.yaml"
-        - "{{ ansible_facts.os_family }}.yaml"
+      files: "{{ distro_lookup_path }}"
+      paths:
+        - 'vars'
+
+- name: Include OS-specific tasks
+  include_tasks: "{{ item }}"
+  vars:
+    params:
+      files: "{{ distro_lookup_path }}"
       skip: true
+  loop: "{{ query('first_found', params) }}"
 
 - name: Install Exim
   package: