diff --git a/xwords4/common/model.c b/xwords4/common/model.c
index a6a946922..e1c85902b 100644
--- a/xwords4/common/model.c
+++ b/xwords4/common/model.c
@@ -173,6 +173,42 @@ model_writeToStream( ModelCtxt* model, XWStreamCtxt* stream )
 } /* model_writeToStream */
 
 #ifdef TEXT_MODEL
+#include <glib.h>
+#include <glib/gprintf.h>
+
+# define EMPTY_CHAR '.'
+void
+model_setFromTextStream( ModelCtxt* model, XWStreamCtxt* stream )
+{
+    const DictionaryCtxt* dict = model_getDictionary( model );
+    XP_U16 col, row;
+
+    for ( row = 0; row < model->nRows; ++row ) {
+        for ( col = 0; col < model->nCols; ++col ) {
+            gchar ch = stream_getU8( stream );
+            if ( EMPTY_CHAR == ch ) {
+                setModelTileRaw( model, col, row, TILE_EMPTY_BIT );
+            } else {
+                XP_Bool isBlank = g_ascii_islower( ch );
+                XP_UCHAR face[2] = { ch, '\0' };
+                if ( isBlank ) {
+                    XP_UPPERSTR( face );
+                }
+                Tile tile = dict_tileForString( dict, face );
+                CellTile raw = tile & TILE_VALUE_MASK;
+                if ( isBlank ) {
+                    raw |= TILE_BLANK_BIT;
+                }
+                setModelTileRaw( model, col, row, raw );
+                notifyBoardListeners( model, 0, col, row, XP_TRUE );
+                ++model->vol.nTilesOnBoard;
+                /* Need to remove from pool too!!! */
+            }
+        }
+        (void)stream_getU8( stream ); /* skip \n */
+    }
+}
+
 void
 model_writeToTextStream( const ModelCtxt* model, XWStreamCtxt* stream )
 {
@@ -183,7 +219,7 @@ model_writeToTextStream( const ModelCtxt* model, XWStreamCtxt* stream )
     XP_U16 col, row;
 
     for ( ii = 0; ii < width; ++ii ) {
-        empty[ii] = '.';
+        empty[ii] = EMPTY_CHAR;
     }
 
     for ( row = 0; row < model->nRows; ++row ) {
@@ -572,7 +608,7 @@ setModelTileRaw( ModelCtxt* model, XP_U16 col, XP_U16 row, CellTile tile )
     XP_ASSERT( col < MAX_COLS );
     XP_ASSERT( row < MAX_ROWS );
     model->tiles[col][row] = tile;
-} /* model_setTile */
+} /* setModelTileRaw */
 
 static CellTile 
 getModelTileRaw( const ModelCtxt* model, XP_U16 col, XP_U16 row )
diff --git a/xwords4/common/model.h b/xwords4/common/model.h
index e0ec0d495..31d6fd7ce 100644
--- a/xwords4/common/model.h
+++ b/xwords4/common/model.h
@@ -111,6 +111,7 @@ void model_writeToStream( ModelCtxt* model, XWStreamCtxt* stream );
 
 #ifdef TEXT_MODEL
 void model_writeToTextStream( const ModelCtxt* model, XWStreamCtxt* stream );
+void model_setFromTextStream( ModelCtxt* model, XWStreamCtxt* stream );
 #endif
 
 void model_init( ModelCtxt* model, XP_U16 nCols, XP_U16 nRows );
diff --git a/xwords4/linux/gtkmain.c b/xwords4/linux/gtkmain.c
index 803fbf858..589a1c94c 100644
--- a/xwords4/linux/gtkmain.c
+++ b/xwords4/linux/gtkmain.c
@@ -504,6 +504,15 @@ createOrLoadObjects( GtkAppGlobals* globals )
         }
     }
 
+#ifdef TEXT_MODEL
+    if ( !!params->boardFile ) {
+        XWStreamCtxt* stream = 
+            streamFromFile( &globals->cGlobals, params->boardFile, globals );
+        model_setFromTextStream( globals->cGlobals.game.model, stream );
+        stream_destroy( stream );
+    }
+#endif
+
 #ifndef XWFEATURE_STANDALONE_ONLY
     if ( !!globals->cGlobals.game.comms ) {
         comms_start( globals->cGlobals.game.comms );
diff --git a/xwords4/linux/linuxmain.c b/xwords4/linux/linuxmain.c
index 9fbe9c944..578a02b49 100644
--- a/xwords4/linux/linuxmain.c
+++ b/xwords4/linux/linuxmain.c
@@ -272,6 +272,7 @@ typedef enum {
     ,CMD_CLOSESTDIN
     ,CMD_QUITAFTER
     ,CMD_BOARDSIZE
+    ,CMD_BOARDFILE
     ,CMD_HIDEVALUES
     ,CMD_SKIPCONFIRM
     ,CMD_VERTICALSCORE
@@ -343,6 +344,7 @@ static CmdInfoRec CmdInfoRecs[] = {
     ,{ CMD_CLOSESTDIN, false, "close-stdin", "close stdin on start" }
     ,{ CMD_QUITAFTER, true, "quit-after", "exit <n> seconds after game's done" }
     ,{ CMD_BOARDSIZE, true, "board-size", "board is <n> by <n> cells" }
+    ,{ CMD_BOARDFILE, true, "board-file", "file holding 15x15 record of model" }
     ,{ CMD_HIDEVALUES, false, "hide-values", "show letters, not nums, on tiles" }
     ,{ CMD_SKIPCONFIRM, false, "skip-confirm", "don't confirm before commit" }
     ,{ CMD_VERTICALSCORE, false, "vertical", "scoreboard is vertical" }
@@ -1133,6 +1135,9 @@ main( int argc, char** argv )
         case CMD_BOARDSIZE:
             mainParams.gi.boardSize = atoi(optarg);
             break;
+        case CMD_BOARDFILE:
+            mainParams.boardFile = optarg;
+            break;
 #ifdef XWFEATURE_BLUETOOTH
         case CMD_BTADDR:
             XP_ASSERT( conType == COMMS_CONN_NONE ||
diff --git a/xwords4/linux/linuxutl.c b/xwords4/linux/linuxutl.c
index cf72e12a8..2cb81afff 100644
--- a/xwords4/linux/linuxutl.c
+++ b/xwords4/linux/linuxutl.c
@@ -421,4 +421,13 @@ linux_lowerstr( XP_UCHAR* str )
         ++str;
     }
 }
+
+void
+linux_upperstr( XP_UCHAR* str )
+{
+    while ( *str ) {
+        *str = toupper( *str );
+        ++str;
+    }
+}
 #endif
diff --git a/xwords4/linux/main.h b/xwords4/linux/main.h
index 53ac57ee6..b872fac4a 100644
--- a/xwords4/linux/main.h
+++ b/xwords4/linux/main.h
@@ -79,6 +79,9 @@ typedef struct LaunchParams {
 #ifdef XWFEATURE_SLOW_ROBOT
     XP_U16 robotThinkMin, robotThinkMax;
 #endif
+#ifdef TEXT_MODEL
+    char* boardFile;
+#endif
 
     DeviceRole serverRole;
 
diff --git a/xwords4/linux/xptypes.h b/xwords4/linux/xptypes.h
index 075120e11..6f49e2e52 100644
--- a/xwords4/linux/xptypes.h
+++ b/xwords4/linux/xptypes.h
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@
 #include <string.h>		/* memset */
 #include <assert.h>		/* memset */
 #include <unistd.h>
+#include <ctype.h>
 #include <netinet/in.h>
 
 #ifdef PLATFORM_GTK
@@ -105,7 +106,10 @@ void linux_freep( void** ptrp );
 #define XP_STRNCPY(s1,s2,len) strncpy((s1),(s2),(len))
 #define XP_STRCMP(s1,s2)       strcmp((s1),(s2))
 void linux_lowerstr( XP_UCHAR* str );
+void linux_upperstr( XP_UCHAR* str );
 #define XP_LOWERSTR(str)       linux_lowerstr(str)
+#define XP_UPPERSTR(str)       linux_upperstr(str)
+#define XP_ISLOWER( ch )       islower(ch)
 #define XP_RANDOM() random()
 #define XP_SNPRINTF snprintf