diff --git a/inventory/group_vars/badges-backend b/inventory/group_vars/badges-backend
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..8ca012acf1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/inventory/group_vars/badges-backend
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+---
+# common items for the releng-* boxes
+lvm_size: 20000
+mem_size: 4096
+num_cpus: 2
+ks_url: http://infrastructure.fedoraproject.org/repo/rhel/ks/kvm-rhel-6
+ks_repo: http://infrastructure.fedoraproject.org/repo/rhel/RHEL6-x86_64/
+install_command: /usr/sbin/virt-install -n ${inventory_hostname} -r ${mem_size} 
+                 --disk ${volgroup}/${inventory_hostname} 
+                 --vcpus=${num_cpus}  -l ${ks_repo} -x 
+                 "ksdevice=eth0 ks=${ks_url} ip=${eth0_ip} netmask=${nm} 
+                  gateway=${gw} dns=${dns} console=tty0 console=ttyS0" 
+                 --network=bridge=br0 --autostart --noautoconsole
+
+# for systems that do not match the above - specify the same parameter in
+# the host_vars/$hostname file
+
+tcp_ports: [ 80 ]
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/inventory/inventory b/inventory/inventory
index 468f6667af..dd7db007b9 100644
--- a/inventory/inventory
+++ b/inventory/inventory
@@ -47,6 +47,12 @@ ask01.stg.phx2.fedoraproject.org
 backup02.fedoraproject.org
 backup03.phx2.fedoraproject.org
 
+[badges-backend]
+badges-backend01.phx2.fedoraproject.org
+
+[badges-backend-stg]
+badges-backend01.stg.phx2.fedoraproject.org
+
 [bapp]
 bapp02.phx2.fedoraproject.org
 
@@ -286,6 +292,7 @@ pkgs01.stg.phx2.fedoraproject.org
 proxy01.stg.phx2.fedoraproject.org
 value01.stg.phx2.fedoraproject.org
 openid01.stg.phx2.fedoraproject.org
+badges-backend01.stg.phx2.fedoraproject.org
 
 [unbound-dns]
 unbound-ib01.fedoraproject.org
diff --git a/playbooks/groups/badges-backend.yml b/playbooks/groups/badges-backend.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..37b4372c45
--- /dev/null
+++ b/playbooks/groups/badges-backend.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+# create a new badges-backend server
+# NOTE: should be used with --limit most of the time
+# NOTE: make sure there is room/space for this server on the vmhost
+# NOTE: most of these vars come from group_vars/mirrorlist or from hostvars
+
+- name: make badges-backend server
+  hosts: badges-backend badges-backend-stg
+  user: root
+  gather_facts: False
+
+  vars_files: 
+   - /srv/web/infra/ansible/vars/global.yml
+   - ${private}/vars.yml
+   - ${vars}/${ansible_distribution}.yml
+
+  tasks:
+  - include: $tasks/virt_instance_create.yml
+
+  handlers:
+  - include: $handlers/restart_services.yml
+
+- name: make the box be real
+  hosts: badges-backend badges-backend-stg
+  user: root
+  gather_facts: True
+
+  vars_files: 
+   - /srv/web/infra/ansible/vars/global.yml
+   - ${private}/vars.yml
+   - ${vars}/${ansible_distribution}.yml
+
+  tasks:
+  - include: $tasks/hosts.yml
+  - include: $tasks/yumrepos.yml
+  - include: $tasks/base.yml
+  - include: $tasks/fas_client.yml
+  - include: $tasks/2fa_client.yml
+  - include: $tasks/motd.yml
+  - include: $tasks/sudo.yml
+  - include: $tasks/rkhunter.yml
+  - include: $tasks/denyhosts.yml
+  - include: $tasks/nagios_client.yml
+
+  handlers:
+  - include: $handlers/restart_services.yml