diff --git a/examples/playbooks/roles/foo/tasks/main.yml b/examples/playbooks/roles/foo/tasks/main.yml
index 13a143dc9f..1642311f51 100644
--- a/examples/playbooks/roles/foo/tasks/main.yml
+++ b/examples/playbooks/roles/foo/tasks/main.yml
@@ -7,3 +7,8 @@
   template: src=foo.j2 dest=/tmp/roles_test2.txt
   notify:
     - blippy
+
+- name: demo that parameterized roles work
+  shell: echo just FYI, param1={{ param1 }}, param2 ={{ param2 }}
+
+
diff --git a/examples/playbooks/roletest.yml b/examples/playbooks/roletest.yml
index 8aa934588f..ec9c9886c3 100644
--- a/examples/playbooks/roletest.yml
+++ b/examples/playbooks/roletest.yml
@@ -26,13 +26,21 @@
 
   - hosts: all
     roles:
-      - foo
+
+    # a role can be listed flat like this: 
+    #
+    #   - common
+    #   - webservers
+
+    # but you can also pass variables to them, so they can be parameterized.  You can call
+    # a role more than once with different parameters too.  It might look like this:
+
+      - { role: foo, param1: 1000, param2: 2000 }
+      - { role: foo, param1: 8000, param2: 9000 }
 
     # add as many roles as you like, roles takes a list of roles names
     # these paths can be qualified, but if bare, it will look from them in
     # roles/$rolename relative to the playbook
-    #
-    # - bar
 
     # explicit tasks and handlers can be used, but are not required.
     # they will run after the roles if present.
diff --git a/lib/ansible/playbook/play.py b/lib/ansible/playbook/play.py
index 7c5a746255..74ef90e2e4 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/playbook/play.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/playbook/play.py
@@ -125,7 +125,20 @@ class Play(object):
         new_tasks = []
         new_handlers = []
         new_vars_files = []
+
+        # variables if the role was parameterized (i.e. given as a hash) 
+        has_dict = {}
+
         for orig_path in roles:
+
+            if type(orig_path) == dict:
+                # what, not a path?
+                role_name = orig_path.get('role', None)
+                if role_name is None:
+                    raise errors.AnsibleError("expected a role name in dictionary: %s" % orig_path)
+                has_dict = orig_path
+                orig_path = role_name
+
             path = utils.path_dwim(self.basedir, orig_path)
             if not os.path.isdir(path) and not orig_path.startswith(".") and not orig_path.startswith("/"):
                 path2 = utils.path_dwim(self.basedir, os.path.join('roles', orig_path))
@@ -138,9 +151,9 @@ class Play(object):
             handler   = utils.path_dwim(self.basedir, os.path.join(path, 'handlers', 'main.yml'))
             vars_file = utils.path_dwim(self.basedir, os.path.join(path, 'vars', 'main.yml'))
             if os.path.isfile(task):
-                new_tasks.append(dict(include=task))
+                new_tasks.append(dict(include=task, vars=has_dict))
             if os.path.isfile(handler):
-                new_handlers.append(dict(include=handler))
+                new_handlers.append(dict(include=handler, vars=has_dict))
             if os.path.isfile(vars_file):
                 new_vars_files.append(vars_file)
 
@@ -155,6 +168,7 @@ class Play(object):
             vars_files = []
         tasks.extend(new_tasks)
         handlers.extend(new_handlers)
+
         vars_files.extend(new_vars_files)
         ds['tasks'] = tasks
         ds['handlers'] = handlers