Any HRE tips for new game?

[Simoleum]

Decided I wanna try uniting the HRE. Haven't done it since the "new" HRE mechanics came, a long time ago. Any tips?

 

[Retrac910]

Stack diplo rep, abuse expand empire CB, when declaring on a power with the CB to get them to give up imperial land release as many small countries as possible, do whatever you can to kill centers of reformation.

 

[Simoleum]

Stack diplo rep, abuse expand empire CB, when declaring on a power with the CB to get them to give up imperial land release as many small countries as possible, do whatever you can to kill centers of reformation.

Thanks. How do I thwart the centers again? I forgot.

 

[Retrac910]

Thanks. How do I thwart the centers again? I forgot.

Force convert through war if the center is their capital is the easiest. If not, get them to spit out an opm with the center as their capital then force convert in a later war. The other option is to take the province yourself and convert if you have 5+ missionary strength. If you have diplomatic ideas, it can be worth it to no-cb an opm with a center as soon as they spawn as the stab hit and ae shouldn't be too bad. The faster you kill the centers, the better.

 

[Terixis]

If you aren't Austria make sure you win the first election after starting to give you time to rein in the Italians, which can now be done by getting them to 150 relations, allying them, or making them a free city, so no more war required. Then squash the reformation (probably with no-CB wars) and either convert them if the center of reformation is in their capital or take it and convert it yourself. As long as you stop the reformation and don't lose the Emperorship it's very easy to revoke or unify.