Not a new game - but a way to make LCG's and CCG's better

I am already doing this with the LCG I have been working on for the past few years, Way of the Warrior. Each card has a QR code printed on it, which when scanned, will open up a wiki page that contains a description of the card, rules errata, a rating by the players, and player feedback/discussion.
I thought it was a pretty cool idea when I came up with it, so yes, I think what you are proposing would be a very helpful feature. :)

- Sanhueza

I am using fairly small dimensions, although I've seen much smaller QR codes printed on bills, flyers, etc. You can see how they appear on the card mockups below. I've tested it with smartphones and it works! However, it can sometimes be tricky to line it up just right for the scanner apps to pick it up. This might not have to do with the size of the code, however. A friend of mine suggested that the text on the cards (in other words, other black-and-white patterns nearby) might be confusing the scanner. So increasing the white border around the code, or moving the text farther away, might improve the reliability. Even making the code smaller might help, by putting more white space around it. I will definitely try both larger and smaller codes, and play with the white border, to find the best readability without sacrificing too much card space.

[removed links to deleted images]

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the copyrights to the illustrations on these images. They were simply used for the purpose of mocking up the card designs, and I have no intent of publishing them as part of the finished product.

I agree with many of the things you are saying about game design, indigo. Especially in terms of "a game should come with everything needed to play it." For me, the choice wasn't to compensate for not enough info on the cards. Instead, it was to solve a problem inherent in these kinds of games - with so many cards, constantly trying to be inventive and new with the designs, it's inevitable that something breaks or gets misunderstood. Online forums have been a great resource to CCG/LCG players to clear up these misinterpretations and get rules corrections from the publishers. So using the code simply makes it that much easier for the players to do so. The purpose is to clarify or fix broken information that slipped through during the testing/proof-reading process, not to supply missing information.

Another reason why the idea appealed to me so much, is to connect players to the online community directly through the cards themselves. They'd be able to post their own strategies and opinions about the cards and communicate with other players around the globe. So in theory, it adds to the interactivity and community of the game, which I think is worth the sacrifice of space.

Right, ConMan. It's unlikely that BMinNy and I are the only ones to have had this idea. In fact, indigo said he's seen a dice game using QR codes, so it's only a matter of time before this becomes more common.