diff --git a/build.hancho b/build.hancho
index 59e86af..30b6100 100644
--- a/build.hancho
+++ b/build.hancho
@@ -1,10 +1,11 @@
 # matcheroni/build.hancho
 
-hancho.build_tag  = "debug"
-hancho.rules      = hancho.load("symlinks/hancho/rules.hancho")
+if 'base_rules' not in hancho:
+    hancho.base_rules = hancho.load("symlinks/hancho/base_rules.hancho")
+
 hancho.cpp_config = hancho.Config(
-  includes = "{repo_dir}",
-  test_dir = "{repo_dir}",
+    includes = "{repo_dir}",
+    test_dir = "{repo_dir}",
 )
 
 hancho.c_lexer  = hancho.load("examples/c_lexer/c_lexer.hancho")
@@ -17,8 +18,8 @@ tests    = hancho.load("tests/tests.hancho")
 tutorial = hancho.load("examples/tutorial/tutorial.hancho")
 
 ini = hancho(
-  hancho.rules.cpp_lib,
-  hancho.cpp_config,
-  in_srcs = "examples/ini/ini_parser.cpp",
-  out_lib = "ini_parser.a",
+    hancho.base_rules.cpp_lib,
+    hancho.cpp_config,
+    in_srcs = "examples/ini/ini_parser.cpp",
+    out_lib = "ini_parser.a",
 )
diff --git a/examples/c_lexer/c_lexer.hancho b/examples/c_lexer/c_lexer.hancho
index 0fcb2f3..bba93d5 100644
--- a/examples/c_lexer/c_lexer.hancho
+++ b/examples/c_lexer/c_lexer.hancho
@@ -1,27 +1,24 @@
 #-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # Matcheroni C lexer demo
 
-rules  = hancho.rules
-config = hancho.cpp_config
-
 lib = hancho(
-  rules.cpp_lib,
-  config,
+  hancho.base_rules.cpp_lib,
+  hancho.cpp_config,
   in_srcs = ["CLexer.cpp", "CToken.cpp"],
   out_lib = "c_lexer.a",
 )
 
 hancho(
-  rules.cpp_test,
-  config,
+  hancho.base_rules.cpp_test,
+  hancho.cpp_config,
   in_srcs = "c_lexer_test.cpp",
   in_libs = lib,
   out_bin = "c_lexer_test",
 )
 
 hancho(
-  rules.cpp_bin,
-  config,
+  hancho.base_rules.cpp_bin,
+  hancho.cpp_config,
   in_srcs = "c_lexer_benchmark.cpp",
   in_libs = lib,
   out_bin = "c_lexer_benchmark",
diff --git a/examples/c_parser/c_parser.hancho b/examples/c_parser/c_parser.hancho
index 013164a..4b20a41 100644
--- a/examples/c_parser/c_parser.hancho
+++ b/examples/c_parser/c_parser.hancho
@@ -1,22 +1,18 @@
 #-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # C parser example (not finished)
 
-rules   = hancho.rules
-config  = hancho.cpp_config
-c_lexer = hancho.c_lexer
-
 lib = hancho(
-  rules.cpp_lib,
-  config,
+  hancho.base_rules.cpp_lib,
+  hancho.cpp_config,
   in_srcs = ["CContext.cpp", "CNode.cpp", "CScope.cpp"],
   out_lib = "c_parser.a",
 )
 
 hancho(
-  rules.cpp_bin,
-  config,
+  hancho.base_rules.cpp_bin,
+  hancho.cpp_config,
   in_srcs = "c_parser_benchmark.cpp",
-  in_libs = [c_lexer.lib, lib],
+  in_libs = [hancho.c_lexer.lib, lib],
   out_bin = "c_parser_benchmark",
 )
 
diff --git a/examples/json/json.hancho b/examples/json/json.hancho
index af59363..c954e13 100644
--- a/examples/json/json.hancho
+++ b/examples/json/json.hancho
@@ -1,17 +1,15 @@
 #-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # Matcheroni JSON parser example
 
-rules  = hancho.rules
-
 lib = hancho(
-  rules.cpp_lib,
+  hancho.base_rules.cpp_lib,
   hancho.cpp_config,
   in_srcs  = ["json_matcher.cpp", "json_parser.cpp"],
   out_lib  = "json_parser.a",
 )
 
 hancho(
-  rules.cpp_bin,
+  hancho.base_rules.cpp_bin,
   hancho.cpp_config,
   in_srcs = "json_conformance.cpp",
   in_libs = lib,
@@ -19,7 +17,7 @@ hancho(
 )
 
 hancho(
-  rules.cpp_bin,
+  hancho.base_rules.cpp_bin,
   hancho.cpp_config,
   in_srcs = "json_benchmark.cpp",
   in_libs = lib,
@@ -27,7 +25,7 @@ hancho(
 )
 
 hancho(
-  rules.cpp_bin,
+  hancho.base_rules.cpp_bin,
   hancho.cpp_config,
   in_srcs = "json_demo.cpp",
   in_libs = lib,
@@ -35,7 +33,7 @@ hancho(
 )
 
 hancho(
-  rules.cpp_test,
+  hancho.base_rules.cpp_test,
   hancho.cpp_config,
   in_srcs = "json_test.cpp",
   in_libs = lib,
diff --git a/examples/regex/regex.hancho b/examples/regex/regex.hancho
index 7525d73..7dc96fe 100644
--- a/examples/regex/regex.hancho
+++ b/examples/regex/regex.hancho
@@ -11,17 +11,16 @@
 #benchmark_defs = ${benchmark_defs} -DSRELL_NO_NAMEDCAPTURE
 #benchmark_defs = ${benchmark_defs} -DSRELL_NO_VMODE
 
-rules  = hancho.rules
 
 lib = hancho(
-  rules.cpp_lib,
+  hancho.base_rules.cpp_lib,
   hancho.cpp_config,
   in_srcs = "regex_parser.cpp",
   out_lib = "regex_parser.a",
 )
 
 hancho(
-  rules.cpp_bin,
+  hancho.base_rules.cpp_bin,
   hancho.cpp_config,
   in_srcs = "regex_demo.cpp",
   in_libs = lib,
@@ -29,7 +28,7 @@ hancho(
 )
 
 hancho(
-  rules.cpp_bin,
+  hancho.base_rules.cpp_bin,
   hancho.cpp_config,
   in_srcs = "regex_benchmark.cpp",
   in_libs = lib,
@@ -38,7 +37,7 @@ hancho(
 )
 
 hancho(
-  rules.cpp_test,
+  hancho.base_rules.cpp_test,
   hancho.cpp_config,
   in_srcs = "regex_test.cpp",
   in_libs = lib,
diff --git a/examples/toml/toml.hancho b/examples/toml/toml.hancho
index f53af8f..282b70b 100644
--- a/examples/toml/toml.hancho
+++ b/examples/toml/toml.hancho
@@ -1,17 +1,15 @@
 #-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # TOML parser example
 
-rules = hancho.rules
-
 lib = hancho(
-  rules.cpp_lib,
+  hancho.base_rules.cpp_lib,
   hancho.cpp_config,
   in_srcs = "toml_parser.cpp",
   out_lib = "toml_parser.a",
 )
 
 hancho(
-  rules.cpp_test,
+  hancho.base_rules.cpp_test,
   hancho.cpp_config,
   in_srcs = "toml_test.cpp",
   in_libs = lib,
diff --git a/examples/tutorial/tutorial.hancho b/examples/tutorial/tutorial.hancho
index ff5f083..e290e9c 100644
--- a/examples/tutorial/tutorial.hancho
+++ b/examples/tutorial/tutorial.hancho
@@ -1,19 +1,17 @@
 #-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # Tutorial examples
 
-rules  = hancho.rules
-config = hancho.cpp_config
 
-hancho(rules.cpp_test, config, in_srcs = "json_tut0a.cpp", out_bin = "json_tut0a")
-hancho(rules.cpp_test, config, in_srcs = "json_tut1a.cpp", out_bin = "json_tut1a")
-hancho(rules.cpp_test, config, in_srcs = "json_tut1b.cpp", out_bin = "json_tut1b")
-hancho(rules.cpp_test, config, in_srcs = "json_tut1c.cpp", out_bin = "json_tut1c")
-hancho(rules.cpp_test, config, in_srcs = "json_tut2a.cpp", out_bin = "json_tut2a")
-hancho(rules.cpp_test, config, in_srcs = "json_tut2b.cpp", out_bin = "json_tut2b")
+hancho(hancho.base_rules.cpp_test, hancho.cpp_config, in_srcs = "json_tut0a.cpp", out_bin = "json_tut0a")
+hancho(hancho.base_rules.cpp_test, hancho.cpp_config, in_srcs = "json_tut1a.cpp", out_bin = "json_tut1a")
+hancho(hancho.base_rules.cpp_test, hancho.cpp_config, in_srcs = "json_tut1b.cpp", out_bin = "json_tut1b")
+hancho(hancho.base_rules.cpp_test, hancho.cpp_config, in_srcs = "json_tut1c.cpp", out_bin = "json_tut1c")
+hancho(hancho.base_rules.cpp_test, hancho.cpp_config, in_srcs = "json_tut2a.cpp", out_bin = "json_tut2a")
+hancho(hancho.base_rules.cpp_test, hancho.cpp_config, in_srcs = "json_tut2b.cpp", out_bin = "json_tut2b")
 
 hancho(
-  rules.cpp_bin,
-  config,
+  hancho.base_rules.cpp_bin,
+  hancho.cpp_config,
   in_srcs = "tiny_c_parser.cpp",
   in_libs = [hancho.c_lexer.lib, hancho.c_parser.lib],
   out_bin = "tiny_c_parser",
diff --git a/tests/tests.hancho b/tests/tests.hancho
index 5315151..583aa48 100644
--- a/tests/tests.hancho
+++ b/tests/tests.hancho
@@ -5,8 +5,6 @@
 #build obj/matcheroni/Parseroni.hpp.iwyu  : iwyu matcheroni/Parseroni.hpp
 #build obj/matcheroni/Utilities.hpp.iwyu  : iwyu matcheroni/Utilities.hpp
 
-rules = hancho.rules
-
 # Apparently I broke this...
 #hancho(
 #  rules.cpp_test,
@@ -15,7 +13,7 @@ rules = hancho.rules
 #)
 
 hancho(
-  rules.cpp_test,
+  hancho.base_rules.cpp_test,
   hancho.cpp_config,
   in_srcs = "parseroni_test.cpp",
   out_bin = "parseroni_test",