diff --git a/Core/GameEngine/Include/Common/GameUtility.h b/Core/GameEngine/Include/Common/GameUtility.h
index 63f1cbf417d..12995a38ce4 100644
--- a/Core/GameEngine/Include/Common/GameUtility.h
+++ b/Core/GameEngine/Include/Common/GameUtility.h
@@ -21,12 +21,15 @@
 // For miscellaneous game utility functions.
 
 class Player;
+typedef Int PlayerIndex;
 
 namespace rts
 {
 
 Bool localPlayerIsObserving();
 Player* getObservedOrLocalPlayer(); ///< Get the current observed or local player. Is never null.
+Player* getObservedOrLocalPlayer_Safe(); ///< Get the current observed or local player. Is never null, except when the application does not have players.
+PlayerIndex getObservedOrLocalPlayerIndex_Safe(); ///< Get the current observed or local player index. Returns 0 when the application does not have players.
 
 void changeLocalPlayer(Player* player); //< Change local player during game
 void changeObservedPlayer(Player* player); ///< Change observed player during game
diff --git a/Core/GameEngine/Source/Common/GameUtility.cpp b/Core/GameEngine/Source/Common/GameUtility.cpp
index de4fff17e12..2cf6c0a2ddc 100644
--- a/Core/GameEngine/Source/Common/GameUtility.cpp
+++ b/Core/GameEngine/Source/Common/GameUtility.cpp
@@ -62,12 +62,38 @@ Bool localPlayerIsObserving()
 
 Player* getObservedOrLocalPlayer()
 {
+	DEBUG_ASSERTCRASH(TheControlBar != NULL, ("TheControlBar is NULL"));
 	Player* player = TheControlBar->getObservedPlayer();
 	if (player == NULL)
+	{
+		DEBUG_ASSERTCRASH(ThePlayerList != NULL, ("ThePlayerList is NULL"));
 		player = ThePlayerList->getLocalPlayer();
+	}
+	return player;
+}
+
+Player* getObservedOrLocalPlayer_Safe()
+{
+	Player* player = NULL;
+
+	if (TheControlBar != NULL)
+		player = TheControlBar->getObservedPlayer();
+
+	if (player == NULL)
+		if (ThePlayerList != NULL)
+			player = ThePlayerList->getLocalPlayer();
+
 	return player;
 }
 
+PlayerIndex getObservedOrLocalPlayerIndex_Safe()
+{
+	if (Player* player = getObservedOrLocalPlayer_Safe())
+		return player->getPlayerIndex();
+
+	return 0;
+}
+
 void changeLocalPlayer(Player* player)
 {
 	ThePlayerList->setLocalPlayer(player);
diff --git a/Generals/Code/GameEngineDevice/Source/W3DDevice/GameClient/W3DScene.cpp b/Generals/Code/GameEngineDevice/Source/W3DDevice/GameClient/W3DScene.cpp
index 9e8a032fe07..f0bf636f650 100644
--- a/Generals/Code/GameEngineDevice/Source/W3DDevice/GameClient/W3DScene.cpp
+++ b/Generals/Code/GameEngineDevice/Source/W3DDevice/GameClient/W3DScene.cpp
@@ -513,7 +513,7 @@ void RTS3DScene::renderSpecificDrawables(RenderInfoClass &rinfo, Int numDrawable
 #ifdef DIRTY_CONDITION_FLAGS
 	StDrawableDirtyStuffLocker lockDirtyStuff;
 #endif
-	const Int localPlayerIndex = rts::getObservedOrLocalPlayer()->getPlayerIndex();
+	const Int localPlayerIndex = rts::getObservedOrLocalPlayerIndex_Safe();
 	RefRenderObjListIterator it(&UpdateList);
 	// loop through all render objects in the list:
 	for (it.First(&RenderList); !it.Is_Done();)
@@ -1041,7 +1041,7 @@ void RTS3DScene::Customized_Render( RenderInfoClass &rinfo )
 	m_translucentObjectsCount = 0;	//start of new frame so no translucent objects
 	m_occludedObjectsCount = 0;
 
-	const Int localPlayerIndex = rts::getObservedOrLocalPlayer()->getPlayerIndex();
+	const Int localPlayerIndex = rts::getObservedOrLocalPlayerIndex_Safe();
 
 #define USE_LIGHT_ENV 1
 
@@ -1292,7 +1292,7 @@ void RTS3DScene::flushOccludedObjectsIntoStencil(RenderInfoClass & rinfo)
 	//Assume no player colors are visible and all stencil bits are free for use by shadows.
 	TheW3DShadowManager->setStencilShadowMask(0);
 
-	const Int localPlayerIndex = rts::getObservedOrLocalPlayer()->getPlayerIndex();
+	const Int localPlayerIndex = rts::getObservedOrLocalPlayerIndex_Safe();
 
 	if (m_numPotentialOccludees && m_numPotentialOccluders)
 	{
@@ -1470,7 +1470,7 @@ void RTS3DScene::flushOccludedObjects(RenderInfoClass & rinfo)
 
 	if (m_occludedObjectsCount)
 	{
-		const Int localPlayerIndex = rts::getObservedOrLocalPlayer()->getPlayerIndex();
+		const Int localPlayerIndex = rts::getObservedOrLocalPlayerIndex_Safe();
 
 		if (DX8Wrapper::Has_Stencil())	//just in case we have shadows, disable them over occluded pixels.
 		{
@@ -1540,7 +1540,7 @@ void RTS3DScene::flushTranslucentObjects(RenderInfoClass & rinfo)
 
 	if (m_translucentObjectsCount)
 	{
-		const Int localPlayerIndex = rts::getObservedOrLocalPlayer()->getPlayerIndex();
+		const Int localPlayerIndex = rts::getObservedOrLocalPlayerIndex_Safe();
 
 		for (Int i=0; i<m_translucentObjectsCount; i++)
 		{
diff --git a/Generals/Code/GameEngineDevice/Source/W3DDevice/GameClient/W3DView.cpp b/Generals/Code/GameEngineDevice/Source/W3DDevice/GameClient/W3DView.cpp
index 99a6c908420..d21c4a76be8 100644
--- a/Generals/Code/GameEngineDevice/Source/W3DDevice/GameClient/W3DView.cpp
+++ b/Generals/Code/GameEngineDevice/Source/W3DDevice/GameClient/W3DView.cpp
@@ -839,7 +839,7 @@ static void drawablePostDraw( Drawable *draw, void *userData )
 		return;
 
 	Object* obj = draw->getObject();
-	const Int localPlayerIndex = rts::getObservedOrLocalPlayer()->getPlayerIndex();
+	const Int localPlayerIndex = rts::getObservedOrLocalPlayerIndex_Safe();
 #if ENABLE_CONFIGURABLE_SHROUD
 	ObjectShroudStatus ss = (!obj || !TheGlobalData->m_shroudOn) ? OBJECTSHROUD_CLEAR : obj->getShroudedStatus(localPlayerIndex);
 #else
diff --git a/GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngineDevice/Source/W3DDevice/GameClient/W3DPropBuffer.cpp b/GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngineDevice/Source/W3DDevice/GameClient/W3DPropBuffer.cpp
index 150486810b4..3124a16206e 100644
--- a/GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngineDevice/Source/W3DDevice/GameClient/W3DPropBuffer.cpp
+++ b/GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngineDevice/Source/W3DDevice/GameClient/W3DPropBuffer.cpp
@@ -365,7 +365,7 @@ void W3DPropBuffer::drawProps(RenderInfoClass &rinfo)
 			m_props[i].ss = OBJECTSHROUD_CLEAR;
 		}
 		if (m_props[i].ss == OBJECTSHROUD_INVALID) {
-			const Int localPlayerIndex = rts::getObservedOrLocalPlayer()->getPlayerIndex();
+			const Int localPlayerIndex = rts::getObservedOrLocalPlayerIndex_Safe();
 			m_props[i].ss = ThePartitionManager->getPropShroudStatusForPlayer(localPlayerIndex, &m_props[i].location);
 		}
 		if (m_props[i].ss >= OBJECTSHROUD_SHROUDED) {
diff --git a/GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngineDevice/Source/W3DDevice/GameClient/W3DScene.cpp b/GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngineDevice/Source/W3DDevice/GameClient/W3DScene.cpp
index 63755c1b16f..c0733c4061a 100644
--- a/GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngineDevice/Source/W3DDevice/GameClient/W3DScene.cpp
+++ b/GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngineDevice/Source/W3DDevice/GameClient/W3DScene.cpp
@@ -537,7 +537,7 @@ void RTS3DScene::renderSpecificDrawables(RenderInfoClass &rinfo, Int numDrawable
 #ifdef DIRTY_CONDITION_FLAGS
 	StDrawableDirtyStuffLocker lockDirtyStuff;
 #endif
-	const Int localPlayerIndex = rts::getObservedOrLocalPlayer()->getPlayerIndex();
+	const Int localPlayerIndex = rts::getObservedOrLocalPlayerIndex_Safe();
 	RefRenderObjListIterator it(&UpdateList);
 	// loop through all render objects in the list:
 	for (it.First(&RenderList); !it.Is_Done();)
@@ -1089,7 +1089,7 @@ void RTS3DScene::Customized_Render( RenderInfoClass &rinfo )
 	m_translucentObjectsCount = 0;	//start of new frame so no translucent objects
 	m_occludedObjectsCount = 0;
 
-	const Int localPlayerIndex = rts::getObservedOrLocalPlayer()->getPlayerIndex();
+	const Int localPlayerIndex = rts::getObservedOrLocalPlayerIndex_Safe();
 
 #define USE_LIGHT_ENV 1
 
@@ -1339,7 +1339,7 @@ void RTS3DScene::flushOccludedObjectsIntoStencil(RenderInfoClass & rinfo)
 	//Assume no player colors are visible and all stencil bits are free for use by shadows.
 	TheW3DShadowManager->setStencilShadowMask(0);
 
-	const Int localPlayerIndex = rts::getObservedOrLocalPlayer()->getPlayerIndex();
+	const Int localPlayerIndex = rts::getObservedOrLocalPlayerIndex_Safe();
 
 	if (m_numPotentialOccludees && m_numPotentialOccluders)
 	{
@@ -1533,7 +1533,7 @@ void RTS3DScene::flushOccludedObjects(RenderInfoClass & rinfo)
 
 	if (m_occludedObjectsCount)
 	{
-		const Int localPlayerIndex = rts::getObservedOrLocalPlayer()->getPlayerIndex();
+		const Int localPlayerIndex = rts::getObservedOrLocalPlayerIndex_Safe();
 
 		if (DX8Wrapper::Has_Stencil())	//just in case we have shadows, disable them over occluded pixels.
 		{
@@ -1603,7 +1603,7 @@ void RTS3DScene::flushTranslucentObjects(RenderInfoClass & rinfo)
 
 	if (m_translucentObjectsCount)
 	{
-		const Int localPlayerIndex = rts::getObservedOrLocalPlayer()->getPlayerIndex();
+		const Int localPlayerIndex = rts::getObservedOrLocalPlayerIndex_Safe();
 
 		for (Int i=0; i<m_translucentObjectsCount; i++)
 		{
diff --git a/GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngineDevice/Source/W3DDevice/GameClient/W3DTreeBuffer.cpp b/GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngineDevice/Source/W3DDevice/GameClient/W3DTreeBuffer.cpp
index f62b7311a7c..f9305691133 100644
--- a/GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngineDevice/Source/W3DDevice/GameClient/W3DTreeBuffer.cpp
+++ b/GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngineDevice/Source/W3DDevice/GameClient/W3DTreeBuffer.cpp
@@ -1849,7 +1849,7 @@ void W3DTreeBuffer::updateTopplingTree(TTree *tree, Real timeScale)
 		return;
 
 	const W3DTreeDrawModuleData* d = m_treeTypes[tree->treeType].m_data;
-	const Int localPlayerIndex = rts::getObservedOrLocalPlayer()->getPlayerIndex();
+	const Int localPlayerIndex = rts::getObservedOrLocalPlayerIndex_Safe();
 	Coord3D pos;
 	pos.set(tree->location.X, tree->location.Y, tree->location.Z);
 	ObjectShroudStatus ss = ThePartitionManager->getPropShroudStatusForPlayer(localPlayerIndex, &pos);
diff --git a/GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngineDevice/Source/W3DDevice/GameClient/W3DView.cpp b/GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngineDevice/Source/W3DDevice/GameClient/W3DView.cpp
index 096e64d0d51..78302052c7d 100644
--- a/GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngineDevice/Source/W3DDevice/GameClient/W3DView.cpp
+++ b/GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngineDevice/Source/W3DDevice/GameClient/W3DView.cpp
@@ -980,7 +980,7 @@ static void drawablePostDraw( Drawable *draw, void *userData )
 		return;
 
 	Object* obj = draw->getObject();
-	const Int localPlayerIndex = rts::getObservedOrLocalPlayer()->getPlayerIndex();
+	const Int localPlayerIndex = rts::getObservedOrLocalPlayerIndex_Safe();
 #if ENABLE_CONFIGURABLE_SHROUD
 	ObjectShroudStatus ss = (!obj || !TheGlobalData->m_shroudOn) ? OBJECTSHROUD_CLEAR : obj->getShroudedStatus(localPlayerIndex);
 #else