diff --git a/lib/Lacuna/DB.pm b/lib/Lacuna/DB.pm
index 09760447..b819ce89 100644
--- a/lib/Lacuna/DB.pm
+++ b/lib/Lacuna/DB.pm
@@ -14,5 +14,44 @@ sub sqlt_deploy_hook {
     $sqlt_schema->drop_table('noexist_map');
 }
 
+# Simplifies many scripts, especially one-liners, for testing purposes as well
+# as for the bin scripts:
+# perl -MLacuna -E '$e=Lacuna->db->empire(1); say $e->id, ": ", $e->name'
+# 1: Lacuna Expanse Corp
+sub empire {
+    my ($self, $id) = @_;
+    my $empires = $self->resultset('Lacuna::DB::Result::Empire');
+    my %where;
+
+    # set the where hash
+    if (ref $id && ref $id eq 'HASH')
+    {
+        %where = %$id;
+    }
+    # or a C<like> for name
+    elsif ($id =~ /[%_]/)
+    {
+        $where{name} = { like => $id };
+    }
+    # or just the name (hopefully no names are purely numeric)
+    elsif ($id =~ /\D/)
+    {
+        $where{name} = $id;
+    }
+    # or the numeric ID (probably most useful for testing)
+    else
+    {
+        $where{id} = $id;
+    }
+
+    $empires->find(\%where);
+}
+
+# similarly, a lot of typing can be saved with Lacuna->db->building($id)
+sub building {
+    my ($self, $building_id) = @_;
+    my $building = $self->resultset('Lacuna::DB::Result::Building')->find($building_id);
+}
+
 no Moose;
 __PACKAGE__->meta->make_immutable;