diff --git a/etc/report-mail.de.txt b/etc/report-mail.de.txt
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e40d86b53
--- /dev/null
+++ b/etc/report-mail.de.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+Freust Du Dich, dass es diese Woche wieder einen Eressea-Report gibt?
+Möchtest Du dazu beitragen, dass das auch nächste Woche wieder passiert?
+Eressea ist ein freiwilliges gratis-Angebot, und die Spielleitung bezahlt
+seit Jahren die Entwicklung und das Hosting aus eigener Tasche. Wenn Dir
+das etwas wert ist, kannst Du das auf
+https://flattr.com/thing/681354/Eressea zum Ausdruck bringen.
+
+Diese Mail enthält ein Attachment mit Deinem Eressea-Report in 
+komprimierter Form. Um ihn zu entpacken benötigst Du ein Programm, 
+das ZIP-Archive öffnen kann, wie z.B. 7-Zip (http://www.7-zip.org/)
diff --git a/etc/report-mail.en.txt b/etc/report-mail.en.txt
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..58a8e0c19
--- /dev/null
+++ b/etc/report-mail.en.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+If you feel that getting a report every weekend is worth something to you,
+why not flattr Eressea at https://flattr.com/thing/681354/Eressea ?
+
+This email contains an Attachment with your Eressea report in compressed
+form. To open the attachment, you will need a program that can extract
+ZIP files, e.g. 7-Zip (http://www.7-zip.org/).
diff --git a/etc/report-mail.txt b/etc/report-mail.txt
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4101243e7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/etc/report-mail.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+Freust Du Dich, dass es diese Woche wieder einen Eressea-Report gibt?
+Möchtest Du dazu beitragen, dass das auch nächste Woche wieder passiert?
+Eressea ist ein freiwilliges gratis-Angebot, und die Spielleitung bezahlt
+seit Jahren die Entwicklung und das Hosting aus eigener Tasche. Wenn Dir
+das etwas wert ist, kannst Du das auf
+https://flattr.com/thing/681354/Eressea zum Ausdruck bringen.
+
+Diese Mail enthält ein Attachment mit Deinem Eressea-Report in
+komprimierter Form. Um ihn zu entpacken benötigst Du ein Programm,
+das ZIP-Archive öffnen kann, wie z.B. 7-Zip (http://www.7-zip.org/)
+
+This email contains an attachment with your Eressea report in compressed
+form. To open the attachment, you will need a program that can extract
+ZIP files, e.g. 7-Zip (http://www.7-zip.org/).
diff --git a/process/cron/crontab b/process/cron/crontab
deleted file mode 100644
index 9d7e155cb..000000000
--- a/process/cron/crontab
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,17 +0,0 @@
-# Crontab for Eressea on gruenbaer.kn-bremen.de
-
-PATH=/home/eressea/bin:/opt/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin
-ERESSEA=/home/eressea/eressea
-ENABLED=yes
-PREVIEW=yes
-CONFIRM=yes
-
-# m h  dom mon dow   command
-00 00 * * *          $HOME/bin/fetchmail.cron
-00 22 * * *          $HOME/bin/backup-db.sh
-
-15 21 * * Sat        [ "$ENABLED" = "yes" ] && $ERESSEA/server/bin/run-eressea.cron 3
-25 21 * * Sat        [ "$ENABLED" = "yes" ] && $ERESSEA/server/bin/run-eressea.cron 4
-35 21 * * Sat        [ "$ENABLED" = "yes" ] && $ERESSEA/server/bin/run-eressea.cron 2
-30 07 * * Sun        [ "$PREVIEW" = "yes" ] && $ERESSEA/server/bin/preview.cron
-*/5 * * * *          [ "$CONFIRM" = "yes" ] && $ERESSEA/server/bin/orders.cron 2 3 4
diff --git a/process/cron/orders.cron b/process/cron/orders.cron
index be573fe86..114a870a5 100755
--- a/process/cron/orders.cron
+++ b/process/cron/orders.cron
@@ -5,6 +5,10 @@
 # this here script to make a non-blocking syntax check and reject or
 # accept the order file.
 
+if [ "yes" != "$CONFIRM" ] ; then
+  exit
+fi
+
 for GAME in $*
 do
   if [ "$GAME" == "eressea" ]; then GAME=2 ; fi
diff --git a/process/cron/preview.cron b/process/cron/preview.cron
index 985ddf40b..71ebd0571 100755
--- a/process/cron/preview.cron
+++ b/process/cron/preview.cron
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 
-[ -z ${ERESSEA} ] && ERESSEA=~/eressea
+[ "$PREVIEW" != "yes" ] && exit
+[ -z ${ERESSEA} ] && ERESSEA=$HOME/eressea
+
 branch="develop"
 if [ -e ${ERESSEA}/build/.preview ]; then
     branch=`cat ${ERESSEA}/build/.preview`
diff --git a/process/cron/run-eressea.cron b/process/cron/run-eressea.cron
index 8b506a633..4ea38184c 100755
--- a/process/cron/run-eressea.cron
+++ b/process/cron/run-eressea.cron
@@ -1,7 +1,11 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 GAME=$1
-BIN=$HOME/bin
-export ERESSEA=$HOME/eressea
+
+[ "$ENABLED" != "yes" ] && exit
+[ -z ${ERESSEA} ] && ERESSEA=$HOME/eressea
+
+export ERESSEA
+BIN=$ERESSEA/server/bin
 TURN=$(cat $ERESSEA/game-$GAME/turn)
 if [ ! -e $ERESSEA/game-$GAME/data/$TURN.dat ]; then
   echo "data file $TURN is missing, cannot run turn for game $GAME"
@@ -14,6 +18,18 @@ fi
 mkdir $REPORTS
 
 cd $ERESSEA/game-$GAME
+
+# wait for the queue lock to go away
+maxt=5
+to=5
+while [ -e orders.queue.lock ] ; do
+  echo "waiting for orders to finish processing."
+  sleep $to
+  let to=$to+$to
+  let mast=$maxt-1
+  [ $maxt -lt 0 ] && break
+done
+
 if [ -d test ]; then
   touch test/execute.lock
 fi
diff --git a/process/orders.cron b/process/orders.cron
deleted file mode 100755
index be573fe86..000000000
--- a/process/orders.cron
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,16 +0,0 @@
-#!/bin/bash
-
-## this script processes incoming order files.
-# files are delivered into an incoming queue by procmail, then cron runs
-# this here script to make a non-blocking syntax check and reject or
-# accept the order file.
-
-for GAME in $*
-do
-  if [ "$GAME" == "eressea" ]; then GAME=2 ; fi
-  if [ "$GAME" == "e3a" ]; then GAME=3 ; fi
-  if [ -e $HOME/eressea/game-$GAME/orders.queue ]
-  then
-    $HOME/bin/orders-process $GAME
-  fi
-done
diff --git a/process/run-turn b/process/run-turn
index 0c5ee8fd2..c0d0d6a40 100755
--- a/process/run-turn
+++ b/process/run-turn
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+
 GAME=$1
 TURN=$2
 
@@ -12,3 +14,4 @@ echo "running turn $TURN, game $GAME"
 $ERESSEA/server/bin/eressea -v3 -t $TURN run-turn.lua
 mkdir -p log
 ln -f eressea.log log/eressea.log.$TURN
+
diff --git a/process/run-turn.sh b/process/run-turn.sh
deleted file mode 100755
index 9cc4e4ffd..000000000
--- a/process/run-turn.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,22 +0,0 @@
-GAME=$1
-TURN=$2
-
-if [ ! -d $ERESSEA/game-$GAME ] ; then
-  echo "No such game: $GAME"
-  exit 1
-fi
-
-cd $ERESSEA/game-$GAME
-if [ -z $TURN ]; then
- TURN=$(cat turn)
-fi
-
-echo "running turn $TURN, game $GAME"
-if [ -d orders.dir.$TURN ]; then
-  echo "orders.dir.$TURN already exists"
-else
-  mv orders.dir orders.dir.$TURN
-  mkdir -p orders.dir
-fi
-ls -1rt orders.dir.$TURN/turn-* | xargs cat > orders.$TURN
-$ERESSEA/bin/eressea -t $TURN run-turn.lua