Kartens

Kartens is a term used in some design and gaming contexts to refer to a class of compact data carriers that function as modular tokens within systems that combine physical cards with digital data. The term is not tied to a single standard, and its meaning can vary by project, but it generally denotes cards designed to be exchanged, scanned, or swiped to trigger a rule, grant access, or carry metadata.

Most kartens share several features: a standardized physical form that enables handling and storage, an embedded or attached data layer, and a mapping to digital rules or inventories. Technologies used include magnetic stripes, RFID or NFC chips, or machine-readable codes such as QR. Card data may include a unique identifier, a version number, and domain-specific attributes (for example, type, level, or cost) used by the system.

Kartens are applied in several domains. In tabletop and digital games, they act as modular building blocks that players collect, trade, or deploy according to formal rules. In access control and transit settings, kartens can serve as identity tokens or tickets linked to software profiles. In education and prototyping, they function as lightweight proxies for larger datasets.

Design considerations for kartens include durability, interoperability, and security. Designers must balance data capacity with cost and user experience, and ensure compatibility with readers and software ecosystems.

In practice, kartens are a flexible concept rather than a universal standard, used by various projects to explore card-based tokenization. See also: playing cards, smart cards, RFID cards, QR codes.