The Wizards Organized Play Department has set loose dozens of warlords throughout Wizards of the Coast's home offices. R&D, in particular, seems overrun with these warlords as staff members test a new miniatures play format. This format allows players to create 100-point, constructed warbands from any miniatures released up through the recent Aberrations set and compete against each other for bragging rights (and a few prizes). This test's twist is pretty interesting, however.

Each player designates one of his commanders as a "warlord." This warlord must play in all league skirmishes. If he or she (or it) survives and wins the battle, the warlord's abilities improve. Just playing in a battle gains treasure for the warband, too, which can be traded in for magic items.

While this format is undergoing testing, look for the Wizards offices to be the site of many, bloody battles and the screams of the dead and dying -- dead and dying plastic figures, that is. If you haven't heard a prepainted plastic miniature scream, you haven't really played D&D.