diff --git a/ruamoko/qwaq/main.c b/ruamoko/qwaq/main.c
index 8c20c3558..2368c2fc9 100644
--- a/ruamoko/qwaq/main.c
+++ b/ruamoko/qwaq/main.c
@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 /*
 	#FILENAME#
 
-	#DESCRIPTION#
+	Qwaq
 
-	Copyright (C) 2001 #AUTHOR#
+	Copyright (C) 2001 Bill Currie
 
-	Author: #AUTHOR#
-	Date: #DATE#
+	Author: Bill Currie <bill@taniwha.org>
+	Date: 2001/06/01
 
 	This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
 	modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License
@@ -34,13 +34,13 @@
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <string.h>
+#include <pthread.h>
 #include <errno.h>
 #include <getopt.h>
 
 #include "QF/cbuf.h"
 #include "QF/cmd.h"
 #include "QF/cvar.h"
-#include "QF/darray.h"
 #include "QF/gib.h"
 #include "QF/idparse.h"
 #include "QF/progs.h"
@@ -73,13 +73,6 @@ static const char *short_options =
 	"-"		// magic option parsing mode doohicky (must come first)
 	;
 
-typedef struct qwaq_thread_s {
-	struct DARRAY_TYPE (const char *) args;
-	sys_printf_t sys_printf;
-	progs_t    *pr;
-	func_t      main_func;
-} qwaq_thread_t;
-
 struct DARRAY_TYPE(qwaq_thread_t *) thread_data;
 
 static QFile *
@@ -228,12 +221,31 @@ spawn_progs (qwaq_thread_t *thread)
 	pr->pr_argc = 2;
 }
 
-static int
-run_progs (qwaq_thread_t *thread)
+static void *
+run_progs (void *data)
 {
+	__auto_type thread = (qwaq_thread_t *) data;
+
 	PR_ExecuteProgram (thread->pr, thread->main_func);
 	PR_PopFrame (thread->pr);
-	return R_INT (thread->pr);
+	thread->return_code = R_INT (thread->pr);
+	return thread;
+}
+
+static void
+start_progs_thread (qwaq_thread_t *thread)
+{
+	pthread_create (&thread->thread_id, 0, run_progs, thread);
+}
+
+qwaq_thread_t *
+create_thread (void *(*thread_func) (void *))
+{
+	qwaq_thread_t *thread = calloc (1, sizeof (*thread));
+
+	DARRAY_APPEND (&thread_data, thread);
+	pthread_create (&thread->thread_id, 0, thread_func, thread);
+	return thread;
 }
 
 static void
@@ -376,8 +388,16 @@ main (int argc, char **argv)
 		spawn_progs (thread);
 	}
 	if (main_ind >= 0) {
-		ret = run_progs (thread_data.a[main_ind]);
+		// threads might start new threads before the end is reached
+		size_t      count = thread_data.size;
+		for (size_t i = 0; i < count; i++) {
+			if (thread_data.a[i]->pr && thread_data.a[i]->main_func) {
+				start_progs_thread (thread_data.a[main_ind]);
+			}
+		}
+		pthread_join (thread_data.a[main_ind]->thread_id, 0);
 	}
+
 	Sys_Shutdown ();
 	return ret;
 }
diff --git a/ruamoko/qwaq/qwaq-curses.c b/ruamoko/qwaq/qwaq-curses.c
index 8f793bdac..65a08d53f 100644
--- a/ruamoko/qwaq/qwaq-curses.c
+++ b/ruamoko/qwaq/qwaq-curses.c
@@ -1347,8 +1347,6 @@ bi_get_event (progs_t *pr)
 	qwaq_resources_t *res = PR_Resources_Find (pr, "qwaq");
 	qwaq_event_t *event = &G_STRUCT (pr, qwaq_event_t, P_INT (pr, 0));
 
-	process_commands (res);
-	process_input (res);
 	R_INT (pr) = get_event (res, event);
 }
 
@@ -1554,6 +1552,21 @@ bi_mvwblit_line (progs_t *pr)
 	qwaq__mvwblit_line (pr, window_id, x, y, chs, len);
 }
 
+static void *
+qwaq_curse_thread (void *data)
+{
+	__auto_type thread = (qwaq_thread_t *) data;
+	progs_t    *pr = thread->pr;
+	qwaq_resources_t *res = PR_Resources_Find (pr, "qwaq");
+
+	while (1) {
+		process_commands (res);
+		process_input (res);
+	}
+	thread->return_code = 0;
+	return thread;
+}
+
 static void
 bi_initialize (progs_t *pr)
 {
@@ -1573,6 +1586,8 @@ bi_initialize (progs_t *pr)
 	refresh();
 
 	res->stdscr.win = stdscr;
+
+	create_thread (qwaq_curse_thread);
 }
 
 static void
diff --git a/ruamoko/qwaq/qwaq.h b/ruamoko/qwaq/qwaq.h
index 9dbb2c23a..f89f529e8 100644
--- a/ruamoko/qwaq/qwaq.h
+++ b/ruamoko/qwaq/qwaq.h
@@ -1,2 +1,19 @@
+#ifndef __qwaq_h
+#define __qwaq_h
+
+#include "QF/darray.h"
+
+typedef struct qwaq_thread_s {
+	pthread_t   thread_id;
+	int         return_code;
+	struct DARRAY_TYPE (const char *) args;
+	sys_printf_t sys_printf;
+	progs_t    *pr;
+	func_t      main_func;
+} qwaq_thread_t;
+
 void BI_Init (progs_t *pr);
 extern struct cbuf_s *qwaq_cbuf;
+qwaq_thread_t *create_thread (void *(*thread_func) (void *));
+
+#endif//__qwaq_h