Location: the Rejected Realms

Overview • People • Government • Economy • Trend • Analysis

The Rogue Nation of The Horror Channel is a gargantuan, safe nation, ruled by Ringo Juna with an iron fist, and renowned for its complete absence of social welfare. Its hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical population of 13.78 billion are ruled by a mostly-benevolent dictator, who grants the populace the freedom to live their own lives but watches carefully for anyone to slip up.

It is difficult to tell where the omnipresent, corrupt government stops and the rest of society begins, but it juggles the competing demands of Defence, Law & Order, and Education. It meets every day to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Ringovania. The average income tax rate is 91%, and even higher for the wealthy. Private enterprise is illegal, but for those in the know there is a slick and highly efficient black market in Information Technology.

The Horror Channel has been recently classified as an international menace after 'liberating' several nearby territories, teams of painters are converting road signs from horse lengths to kilometers, murder rates are on the rise as the popularity of soylent products grows, and The Horror Channel's Medieval Faire is renowned as one of the best in the region. Crime -- especially youth-related -- is totally unknown, thanks to the all-pervasive police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. The Horror Channel's national animal is the free range zombie, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation, its national religion is no such thing, and its currency is the brain.

The Horror Channel is ranked 71st in the Rejected Realms and 4,449th in the world for Shortest Average Lifespan, scoring 16 on the Bus Surprisal Index.

Preview

NationStates by Max Barry, author of and