diff --git a/defaults/main.yml b/defaults/main.yml
index 3782829..2653257 100644
--- a/defaults/main.yml
+++ b/defaults/main.yml
@@ -27,8 +27,8 @@
 
 # Distribution packages which must be installed
 # on all hosts when building python wheels.
-venv_build_base_distro_package_list: "{{ _venv_build_base_distro_package_list[ansible_facts['os_family'] | lower] }}"
-venv_install_base_distro_package_list: "{{ _venv_install_base_distro_package_list[ansible_facts['os_family'] | lower] }}"
+venv_build_base_distro_package_list: "{{ _venv_build_base_distro_package_list }}"
+venv_install_base_distro_package_list: "{{ _venv_install_base_distro_package_list }}"
 
 # Distribution packages which must be installed
 # on the host for the purpose of building the
diff --git a/tasks/main.yml b/tasks/main.yml
index 9645080..6a51705 100644
--- a/tasks/main.yml
+++ b/tasks/main.yml
@@ -13,6 +13,22 @@
 # See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 # limitations under the License.
 
+- name: Gather variables for each operating system
+  include_vars: "{{ lookup('first_found', params) }}"
+  vars:
+    params:
+      files:
+        - "{{ ansible_facts['distribution'] | lower }}-{{ ansible_facts['distribution_version'] | lower }}.yml"
+        - "{{ ansible_facts['distribution'] | lower }}-{{ ansible_facts['distribution_major_version'] | lower }}.yml"
+        - "{{ ansible_facts['os_family'] | lower }}-{{ ansible_facts['distribution_major_version'] | lower }}.yml"
+        - "{{ ansible_facts['distribution'] | lower }}.yml"
+        - "{{ ansible_facts['os_family'] | lower }}-{{ ansible_facts['distribution_version'].split('.')[0] }}.yml"
+        - "{{ ansible_facts['os_family'] | lower }}.yml"
+      paths:
+        - "{{ role_path }}/vars"
+  tags:
+    - always
+
 - name: gather build target facts
   setup:
     gather_subset: '!all:min'
diff --git a/vars/debian.yml b/vars/debian.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..12a764b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/vars/debian.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+---
+# Copyright 2018, Rackspace US, Inc.
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+#     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+
+_venv_build_base_distro_package_list:
+    - cmake
+    - g++
+    - python3-pkgconfig
+    - python3-dev
+    - python3-venv
+    - python3-setuptools
+
+_venv_install_base_distro_package_list:
+    - python3-venv
+    - python3-setuptools
diff --git a/vars/main.yml b/vars/main.yml
index 09b284a..fa79c1e 100644
--- a/vars/main.yml
+++ b/vars/main.yml
@@ -13,27 +13,6 @@
 # See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 # limitations under the License.
 
-_venv_build_base_distro_package_list:
-  debian:
-    - cmake
-    - g++
-    - "{{ (venv_python_executable == 'python2') | ternary('pkg-config', 'python3-pkgconfig') }}"
-    - "{{ (venv_python_executable == 'python2') | ternary('python-dev', 'python3-dev') }}"
-    - python3-venv
-    - python3-setuptools
-  redhat:
-    - autoconf
-    - cmake
-    - gcc
-    - gcc-c++
-    - "{{ (venv_python_executable == 'python2') | ternary('python2-devel', 'python3-devel') }}"
-
-_venv_install_base_distro_package_list:
-  debian:
-    - python3-venv
-    - python3-setuptools
-  redhat: []
-
 # Set the available build targets for all nodes within an environment.
 # build targets are grouped based on operating system and CPU
 # architecture.
diff --git a/vars/redhat-7.yml b/vars/redhat-7.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..65affd3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/vars/redhat-7.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+---
+# Copyright 2018, Rackspace US, Inc.
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+#     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+
+_venv_build_base_distro_package_list:
+  - autoconf
+  - cmake
+  - gcc
+  - gcc-c++
+  - "{{ (venv_python_executable == 'python2') | ternary('python2-devel', 'python3-devel') }}"
+
+_venv_install_base_distro_package_list: []
diff --git a/vars/redhat-8.yml b/vars/redhat-8.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..69bdf50
--- /dev/null
+++ b/vars/redhat-8.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+---
+# Copyright 2018, Rackspace US, Inc.
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+#     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+
+_venv_build_base_distro_package_list:
+    - autoconf
+    - cmake
+    - gcc
+    - gcc-c++
+    - python36-devel
+
+_venv_install_base_distro_package_list: []
diff --git a/vars/redhat-9.yml b/vars/redhat-9.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cd01a29
--- /dev/null
+++ b/vars/redhat-9.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+---
+# Copyright 2018, Rackspace US, Inc.
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+#     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+
+_venv_build_base_distro_package_list:
+    - autoconf
+    - cmake
+    - gcc
+    - gcc-c++
+    - python3-devel
+
+_venv_install_base_distro_package_list: []