diff --git a/lib/WebGUI/Test.pm b/lib/WebGUI/Test.pm
index 2eb15b6ed..b708f39de 100644
--- a/lib/WebGUI/Test.pm
+++ b/lib/WebGUI/Test.pm
@@ -45,12 +45,8 @@ use Scope::Guard;
 use WebGUI::Paths -inc;
 use namespace::clean;
 use WebGUI::User;
-
-use Plack::Test;
-use Plack::Util;
+use WebGUI::Test::Mechanize;
 use HTTP::Request::Common;
-use WebGUI::GUID;
-
 
 our @EXPORT = qw(cleanupGuard addToCleanup);
 our @EXPORT_OK = qw(session config collateral);
@@ -440,12 +436,14 @@ sub getPage {
 
 =head2 getPage2 ( request|url [, opts] )
 
-Get the entire response from a page request using L<Plack::Test>.
+Get the entire response from a page request using L<WebGUI::Test::Mechanize>.
+This is a wrapper around L<WebGUI::Test::Mechanize> for the purpose of easing conversion of tests that use C<getPage>.
 
 Accepts an L<HTTP::Request> object as an argument, which cooked up auth info will be added to.
 An L<HTTP::Request> will be constructed from a simple relative URL such as C<home> if a string is passed instead.
 
-Returns an L<HTTP::Response> object on which you may call C<< decoded_content() >> to get the body content as a string.
+Returns a string containing the body of the requested page.
+
 C<options> is a hash reference of options with keys outlined below. 
 
  user           => A user object to set for this request
@@ -469,7 +467,6 @@ sub getPage2 {
                                 #              precedence
 
     die "not supported" if exists $optionsRef->{args};
-    die "not supported" if exists $optionsRef->{formParams};
     die "not supported" if exists $optionsRef->{uploads};
 
     my $session = $CLASS->session;
@@ -478,48 +475,39 @@ sub getPage2 {
     my $oldUser     = $session->user;
     my $oldRequest  = $session->request;
 
+    my $mech  = WebGUI::Test::Mechanize->new( config => WebGUI::Test->file );
+
     # Set the appropriate user
     if ($optionsRef->{user}) {
-        $session->user({ user => $optionsRef->{user} });
+        $mech->session->user({ user => $optionsRef->{user} });
     }
     elsif ($optionsRef->{userId}) {
-        $session->user({ userId => $optionsRef->{userId} });
+        $mech->session->user({ userId => $optionsRef->{userId} });
     }
     $session->user->uncache;
 
-    # Fake up a logged in session
-    my $wgSession = WebGUI::GUID->generate;
-    $session->db->write(qq{
-        replace into userSession (sessionId, expires, lastPageView, userId)
-        values (?, ?, ?, ?)
-    }, [ 
-        $wgSession, scalar time + 60 * 20, scalar time, $session->user->userId,
-    ] ) or die;
+    $mech->session or die; # force a session to be created for the request
+    my $session_id = $mech->sessionId or die;
 
-    my $response;
-
-    # Create a new request object, or fix up the one given to us
+    # Build or fix up a request object
     if( ! eval { $request->isa('HTTP::Request') } ) {
         if( $optionsRef->{formParams} ) {
             $request = HTTP::Request::Common::POST( "http://127.0.0.1/$request", [ %{ $optionsRef->{formParams} } ] ) or die;
-        } else {
+        }
+        else {
             $request = HTTP::Request->new( GET => "http://127.0.0.1/$request" ) or die;
         }
-    }
-    $request->header( 'Set-Cookie3' => qq{wgSession=$wgSession; path="/"; domain=127.0.0.1; path_spec; discard; version=0} );
+    } 
+    $request->header( 'Set-Cookie3' => qq{wgSession=$session_id; path="/"; domain=127.0.0.1; path_spec; discard; version=0} );
 
-    my $app = Plack::Util::load_psgi( WebGUI::Paths->defaultPSGI ) or die;
-
-    test_psgi $app, sub {
-        my $cb = shift;
-        $response = $cb->( $request );
-    };
+    $mech->request( $request );
 
     # Restore the former user and request
     $session->user({ user => $oldUser });
     $session->{_request} = $oldRequest; # dubious about this; if we're going to try to support requests inside of other requests, it should be tested and actually supported rather than just some optimistic arm waving done
 
-    return $response;
+    return $mech->response->decoded_content;
+
 }
 
 #----------------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/lib/WebGUI/Test/Mechanize.pm b/lib/WebGUI/Test/Mechanize.pm
index 9330683e2..e6161d657 100644
--- a/lib/WebGUI/Test/Mechanize.pm
+++ b/lib/WebGUI/Test/Mechanize.pm
@@ -58,10 +58,15 @@ sub new {
 
 sub session {
     my $self = shift;
+    if( @_ ) {
+        $self->{_webgui_session} = shift;  # take session as an arg
+        $self->{_webgui_sessionId} ||= $self->{_webgui_session}->getId;
+    }
     return $self->{_webgui_session}
         if $self->{_webgui_session};
-    my $session = WebGUI::Session->open($self->{_webgui_config}, undef, $self->sessionId);
+    my $session = WebGUI::Session->open($self->{_webgui_config}, undef, $self->sessionId) or die;
     $self->{_webgui_session} = $session;
+    $self->{_webgui_sessionId} ||= $session->getId; # sessionId() sets it from
     return $session;
 }
 
@@ -78,7 +83,9 @@ sub sessionId {
         }
     });
     if (! $sessionId) {
-        die "Unable to find session cookie!";
+        # die "Unable to find session cookie!";
+        # when called from session() above, there is no session yet and no sessionId; that's okay
+        return; # empty list; make WebGUI::Session generate one for us
     }
     $self->{_webgui_sessionId} = $sessionId;
     return $sessionId;
diff --git a/t/Asset/AssetExportHtml.t b/t/Asset/AssetExportHtml.t
index 94914c6df..48ff437dc 100644
--- a/t/Asset/AssetExportHtml.t
+++ b/t/Asset/AssetExportHtml.t
@@ -392,12 +392,10 @@ is($@, '', "exportWriteFile works when creating exportPath");
 ok(-e $parent->exportGetUrlAsPath->absolute->stringify, "exportWriteFile actually writes the file when creating exportPath");
 
 # now make sure that it contains the correct content
-eval { 
-    $content = WebGUI::Test->getPage2(
-        $parent->get('url').'?func=exportHtml_view', 
-        { user => WebGUI::User->new($session, 1) },
-    )->decoded_content 
-};
+$content = WebGUI::Test->getPage2(
+    $parent->get('url').'?func=exportHtml_view', 
+    { user => WebGUI::User->new($session, 1) },
+);
 is(scalar $parent->exportGetUrlAsPath->slurp, $content, "exportWriteFile puts the correct contents in exported parent");
 
 
@@ -449,7 +447,7 @@ is($@, '', "exportWriteFile works for first_child");
 ok(-e $firstChild->exportGetUrlAsPath->absolute->stringify, "exportWriteFile actually writes the first_child file");
 
 # verify it has the correct contents
-eval { $content = WebGUI::Test->getPage2( $firstChild->get('url').'?func=exportHtml_view', )->decoded_content };
+eval { $content = WebGUI::Test->getPage2( $firstChild->get('url').'?func=exportHtml_view', ) };
 is(scalar $firstChild->exportGetUrlAsPath->absolute->slurp, $content, "exportWriteFile puts the correct contents in exported first_child");
 
 # and one more level. remove the export path to ensure directory creation keeps
@@ -466,7 +464,7 @@ ok(-e $grandChild->exportGetUrlAsPath->absolute->stringify, "exportWriteFile act
 
 # finally, check its contents
 $session->style->sent(0);
-eval { $content = WebGUI::Test->getPage2( $grandChild->get('url').'?func=exportHtml_view', )->decoded_content };
+eval { $content = WebGUI::Test->getPage2( $grandChild->get('url').'?func=exportHtml_view', ) };
 is(scalar $grandChild->exportGetUrlAsPath->absolute->slurp, $content, "exportWriteFile puts correct content in exported grandchild");
 
 # test different extensions