diff --git a/Sources/Plasma/Apps/plPageOptimizer/main.cpp b/Sources/Plasma/Apps/plPageOptimizer/main.cpp
index 11d794d2..eabd4e25 100644
--- a/Sources/Plasma/Apps/plPageOptimizer/main.cpp
+++ b/Sources/Plasma/Apps/plPageOptimizer/main.cpp
@@ -61,6 +61,9 @@ int main(int argc, char* argv[])
         plResManager* resMgr = new plResManager;
         hsgResMgr::Init(resMgr);
 #ifndef _DEBUG
+    } catch (std::exception &e) {
+        printf(" ***crashed on init: %s\n", e.what());
+        return 2;
     } catch (...) {
         puts(" ***crashed on init");
         return 2;
@@ -75,6 +78,10 @@ int main(int argc, char* argv[])
         optimizer.Optimize();
     }
 #ifndef _DEBUG
+    catch (std::exception &e) {
+        printf(" ***crashed on optimizing: %s\n", e.what());
+        return 2;
+    }
     catch (...) {
         puts(" ***crashed on optimizing");
         return 2;
@@ -92,6 +99,9 @@ int main(int argc, char* argv[])
 
         hsgResMgr::Shutdown();
 #ifndef _DEBUG
+    } catch (std::exception &e) {
+        printf(" ***crashed on shutdown: %s\n", e.what());
+        return 2;
     } catch (...) {
         puts(" ***crashed on shutdown");
         return 2;
diff --git a/Sources/Plasma/PubUtilLib/plAudio/plEAXEffects.cpp b/Sources/Plasma/PubUtilLib/plAudio/plEAXEffects.cpp
index 5feb43ff..9a0b4d7e 100644
--- a/Sources/Plasma/PubUtilLib/plAudio/plEAXEffects.cpp
+++ b/Sources/Plasma/PubUtilLib/plAudio/plEAXEffects.cpp
@@ -150,7 +150,13 @@ bool    plEAXListener::Init( void )
 
         SetGlobalEAXProperty(DSPROPSETID_EAX_ListenerProperties, DSPROPERTY_EAXLISTENER_ROOM, &lRoom, sizeof( unsigned int ));
     }
-    catch ( ... )
+    catch (std::exception &e)
+    {
+        plStatusLog::AddLineS("audio.log", "Unable to set EAX Property Set (%s), disabling EAX...", e.what());
+        plgAudioSys::EnableEAX(false);
+        return false;
+    }
+    catch (...)
     {
         plStatusLog::AddLineS("audio.log", "Unable to set EAX Property Set, disabling EAX...");
         plgAudioSys::EnableEAX(false);
diff --git a/Sources/Plasma/PubUtilLib/plAvatar/plAvBrainHuman.cpp b/Sources/Plasma/PubUtilLib/plAvatar/plAvBrainHuman.cpp
index 5485995c..e690c71e 100644
--- a/Sources/Plasma/PubUtilLib/plAvatar/plAvBrainHuman.cpp
+++ b/Sources/Plasma/PubUtilLib/plAvatar/plAvBrainHuman.cpp
@@ -158,14 +158,16 @@ bool plAvBrainHuman::Apply(double timeNow, float elapsed)
         fWalkingStrategy->SetTurnStrength(IGetTurnStrength(timeNow));
         RunStandardBehaviors(timeNow, elapsed);
         fWalkingStrategy->RecalcVelocity(timeNow, elapsed, (fPreconditions & plHBehavior::kBehaviorTypeNeedsRecalcMask));
-        
+
         plArmatureBrain::Apply(timeNow, elapsed);
 #ifndef _DEBUG
-    } catch (...)
-    {
+    } catch (std::exception &e) {
+        plStatusLog *log = plAvatarMgr::GetInstance()->GetLog();
+        log->AddLineF("plAvBrainHuman::Apply - exception caught: %s", e.what());
+    } catch (...) {
         // just catch all the crashes on exit...
         plStatusLog *log = plAvatarMgr::GetInstance()->GetLog();
-        log->AddLine("plAvBrainHuman::Apply - crash caught");
+        log->AddLine("plAvBrainHuman::Apply - exception caught");
     }
 #endif
     
diff --git a/Sources/Plasma/PubUtilLib/plGImage/plFont.cpp b/Sources/Plasma/PubUtilLib/plGImage/plFont.cpp
index 90770fd5..e998e089 100644
--- a/Sources/Plasma/PubUtilLib/plGImage/plFont.cpp
+++ b/Sources/Plasma/PubUtilLib/plGImage/plFont.cpp
@@ -1475,7 +1475,13 @@ bool    plFont::LoadFromFNTStream( hsStream *stream )
         ICalcFontAscent();
         return true;
     }
-    catch( ... )
+    catch (std::exception &e)
+    {
+        printf("Exception caught in plFont::LoadFromFNTStream: %s\n", e.what());
+        IClear();
+        return false;
+    }
+    catch (...)
     {
         // Somehow we crashed converting!
         IClear();
@@ -2092,7 +2098,14 @@ bool    plFont::LoadFromBDF( const plFileName &path, plBDFConvertCallback *callb
             }
         }
     }
-    catch( ... )
+    catch (std::exception &e)
+    {
+        printf("Exception caught in plFont::LoadFromBDF: %s\n", e.what());
+        IClear();
+        fclose(fp);
+        return false;
+    }
+    catch (...)
     {
         IClear();
         fclose( fp );
diff --git a/Sources/Plasma/PubUtilLib/plGImage/plJPEG.cpp b/Sources/Plasma/PubUtilLib/plGImage/plJPEG.cpp
index e592a010..1df89465 100644
--- a/Sources/Plasma/PubUtilLib/plGImage/plJPEG.cpp
+++ b/Sources/Plasma/PubUtilLib/plGImage/plJPEG.cpp
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ static char jpegmsg[JMSG_LENGTH_MAX];
 static void plJPEG_error_exit( j_common_ptr cinfo )
 {
     (*cinfo->err->format_message) ( cinfo, jpegmsg );
-    throw ( false );
+    throw false;
 }
 static void plJPEG_emit_message( j_common_ptr cinfo, int msg_level )
 {
@@ -134,7 +134,7 @@ plMipmap    *plJPEG::IRead( hsStream *inStream )
 
         /// Read in the JPEG header
         if ( inStream->GetEOF() == 0 )
-            throw( false );
+            throw false;
 
         /// Wonderful limitation of mixing our streams with IJL--it wants either a filename
         /// or a memory buffer. Since we can't give it the former, we have to read the entire
@@ -142,11 +142,6 @@ plMipmap    *plJPEG::IRead( hsStream *inStream )
         /// have to write/read a length of said buffer. Such is life, I guess...
         jpegSourceSize = inStream->ReadLE32();
         jpegSourceBuffer = new uint8_t[ jpegSourceSize ];
-        if( jpegSourceBuffer == nil )
-        {
-            // waah.
-            ERREXIT1( &cinfo, JERR_OUT_OF_MEMORY, 0 );
-        }
 
         inStream->Read( jpegSourceSize, jpegSourceBuffer );
         jpeg_mem_src( &cinfo, jpegSourceBuffer, jpegSourceSize );
@@ -183,11 +178,6 @@ plMipmap    *plJPEG::IRead( hsStream *inStream )
         /// Construct a new mipmap to hold everything
         newMipmap = new plMipmap( cinfo.output_width, cinfo.output_height, plMipmap::kRGB32Config, 1, plMipmap::kJPEGCompression );
 
-        if( newMipmap == nil || newMipmap->GetImage() == nil )
-        {
-            ERREXIT1( &cinfo, JERR_OUT_OF_MEMORY, 0 );
-        }
-
         /// Set up to read in to that buffer we now have
         JSAMPROW jbuffer;
         int row_stride = cinfo.output_width * cinfo.output_components;
@@ -216,7 +206,7 @@ plMipmap    *plJPEG::IRead( hsStream *inStream )
         // Sometimes life just sucks
         ISwapRGBAComponents( (uint32_t *)newMipmap->GetImage(), newMipmap->GetWidth() * newMipmap->GetHeight() );
     }
-    catch( ... )
+    catch (...)
     {
         delete newMipmap;
         newMipmap = nil;
@@ -282,10 +272,6 @@ bool    plJPEG::IWrite( plMipmap *source, hsStream *outStream )
         // Create a buffer to hold the data
         jpgBufferSize = source->GetWidth() * source->GetHeight() * 3;
         jpgBuffer = new uint8_t[ jpgBufferSize ];
-        if( jpgBuffer == nil )
-        {
-            ERREXIT1( &cinfo, JERR_OUT_OF_MEMORY, 0 );
-        }
 
         uint8_t *bufferAddr = jpgBuffer;
         unsigned long bufferSize = jpgBufferSize;
@@ -338,7 +324,7 @@ bool    plJPEG::IWrite( plMipmap *source, hsStream *outStream )
         outStream->WriteLE32( bufferSize );
         outStream->Write( bufferSize, bufferAddr );
     }
-    catch( ... )
+    catch (...)
     {
         result = false;
     }
diff --git a/Sources/Plasma/PubUtilLib/plGImage/plPNG.cpp b/Sources/Plasma/PubUtilLib/plGImage/plPNG.cpp
index 9e8c3253..1e091251 100644
--- a/Sources/Plasma/PubUtilLib/plGImage/plPNG.cpp
+++ b/Sources/Plasma/PubUtilLib/plGImage/plPNG.cpp
@@ -95,21 +95,21 @@ plMipmap* plPNG::IRead(hsStream* inStream)
             png_ptr = png_create_read_struct(PNG_LIBPNG_VER_STRING, NULL, NULL, NULL);
 
             if (!png_ptr) {
-                throw(false);
+                throw false;
             }
 
             info_ptr = png_create_info_struct(png_ptr);
 
             if (!info_ptr) {
                 png_destroy_read_struct(&png_ptr, (png_infopp)NULL, (png_infopp)NULL);
-                throw(false);
+                throw false;
             }
 
             end_info = png_create_info_struct(png_ptr);
 
             if (!end_info) {
                 png_destroy_read_struct(&png_ptr, &info_ptr, (png_infopp)NULL);
-                throw(false);
+                throw false;
             }
 
             //  Assign delegate function for reading from hsStream
@@ -169,10 +169,8 @@ plMipmap* plPNG::IRead(hsStream* inStream)
             delete [] row_ptrs;
         }
     } catch (...) {
-        if (newMipmap != NULL) {
-            delete newMipmap;
-            newMipmap = NULL;
-        }
+        delete newMipmap;
+        newMipmap = nullptr;
     }
 
     return newMipmap;
@@ -200,14 +198,14 @@ bool plPNG::IWrite(plMipmap* source, hsStream* outStream)
         png_structp png_ptr = png_create_write_struct(PNG_LIBPNG_VER_STRING, NULL, NULL, NULL);
 
         if (!png_ptr) {
-            throw(false);
+            throw false;
         }
 
         png_infop info_ptr = png_create_info_struct(png_ptr);
 
         if (!info_ptr) {
             png_destroy_write_struct(&png_ptr, (png_infopp)NULL);
-            throw(false);
+            throw false;
         }
 
         //  Assign delegate function for writing to hsStream
diff --git a/Sources/Plasma/PubUtilLib/plSDL/plSDLMgr.cpp b/Sources/Plasma/PubUtilLib/plSDL/plSDLMgr.cpp
index 9c802815..c936f21a 100644
--- a/Sources/Plasma/PubUtilLib/plSDL/plSDLMgr.cpp
+++ b/Sources/Plasma/PubUtilLib/plSDL/plSDLMgr.cpp
@@ -191,7 +191,19 @@ int plSDLMgr::Read(hsStream* s, plSDL::DescriptorList* dl)
                 delete sd; // well that sucked
         }
     }
-    catch(...)
+    catch (std::exception &e)
+    {
+        if (fNetApp)
+        {
+            hsLogEntry(fNetApp->DebugMsg("Something bad happened while reading SDLMgr data: %s", e.what()));
+        }
+        else
+        {
+            DebugMsg("Something bad happened while reading SDLMgr data: %s", e.what());
+        }
+        return 0;
+    }
+    catch (...)
     {
         if (fNetApp)
         {
diff --git a/Sources/Plasma/PubUtilLib/plSDL/plStateDataRecord.cpp b/Sources/Plasma/PubUtilLib/plSDL/plStateDataRecord.cpp
index ccf7718c..1d5cc025 100644
--- a/Sources/Plasma/PubUtilLib/plSDL/plStateDataRecord.cpp
+++ b/Sources/Plasma/PubUtilLib/plSDL/plStateDataRecord.cpp
@@ -274,9 +274,16 @@ bool plStateDataRecord::Read(hsStream* s, float timeConvert, uint32_t readOption
             }
         }
     }
-    catch(...)
+    catch (std::exception &e)
     {
-        hsAssert( false, 
+        hsAssert(false,
+            plFormat("Something bad happened ({}) while reading simple var data, desc:{}",
+                     e.what(), fDescriptor ? fDescriptor->GetName() : "?").c_str());
+        return false;
+    }
+    catch (...)
+    {
+        hsAssert(false,
             plFormat("Something bad happened while reading simple var data, desc:{}",
                      fDescriptor ? fDescriptor->GetName() : "?").c_str());
         return false;
@@ -308,9 +315,16 @@ bool plStateDataRecord::Read(hsStream* s, float timeConvert, uint32_t readOption
             }
         }
     }
-    catch(...)
+    catch (std::exception &e)
+    {
+        hsAssert(false,
+            plFormat("Something bad happened ({}) while reading nested var data, desc:{}",
+                     e.what(), fDescriptor ? fDescriptor->GetName() : "?").c_str());
+        return false;
+    }
+    catch (...)
     {
-        hsAssert( false, 
+        hsAssert(false,
             plFormat("Something bad happened while reading nested var data, desc:{}",
                      fDescriptor ? fDescriptor->GetName() : "?").c_str());
         return false;