The Gears of War 3 beta test is still rolling, and Microsoft has just unveiled a new way to join up. Namely, make a friend or two. Starting today, beta players can earn a "buddy token," good for one admission to the beta, simply for having participated. They can also earn extra tokens for accomplishing certain tasks, up to five total.

The tasks include purchasing any Gears of War XBLM content, adding a 12-month XBL Gold subscription to your account, playing 20 or more hours of the Gears 3 beta (time already spent in the beta counts), or playing 100 or more hours of any Gears games, lifetime to date. You have until Wednesday, May 4 to complete the tasks and earn tokens, so if you've got a friend in need, you'd better get started.

On May 8, the "Never Fight Alone" beta phase starts, and any tokens you've earned will automatically be forwarded to your e-mail address. Your buddies can join up to play Team Deathmatch, Capture the Leader, and King of the Hill on the Thrashball, Checkout, Trenches, and Old Town maps.

The tasks aren't exactly easy, though dedicated Gears players may have already scored the time-sensitive tasks. If not, you could probably convince your Gears-starved friend to buy you that COG Avatar helmet you've always wanted.