this guide is on On AI Hard and AI Bonus and ironman, which makes a huge difference in difficulty compared to AI normal. Note that I have tried them many times, failed miserably, mostly in the early 16th century when I'd lose a war to Hansa and allies or Poland and allies and I'd have to give up literally all my gains. Losing a war with brandenburg is NOT an option because you are small as it is and the enemy will want you to cede and release everything you have acquired.
Opening: Your first target of conquest is obviously tuetonic order. You will need allies against them and their traditional union of Tutonics, livonians, hungarians and maybe mecklenburg. So on day one you send a diplomat to improve relations with poland while the other diplomat allies with austria and bohemia. Wait for relations with Poland to improve until you can ally them, should take around one year. THen DOW tutonics. Hopefully by this point austria doesnt start another war, and if it doesnt then all 3 of your allies will accept the war. Make sure to get neumark in the peace deal and you can try to get Danzig as well although it is alot of aggressive impact from the 12 tax province. Release Danzig as vassal if you do decide to get it, because you cant core it anyway (no access to it). Danzig is one of the best provinces in europe!
Hire one advisor, a diplomatic relations advisor. Your main enemy is aggressive impact. Your first idea should be influence. Rival tutonics, pommerania, and someone else you want but nobody big like denmark. You dont want Denmark to form coalitions against you.
Expansion from 1450-1550's
After recovering neumark and possibly Danzig, you want to stop moving east. That is polish territory and you want to keep good relations with them. If you move anymore east of Danzig, they will hate you and DOW you eventually, and they are by far the strongest in the area (overpowered if you ask me). Therefore you expand into pommerania and take provinces like altmark and mecklenburg and if you're lucky, hansa. I'd recommend vassalizing the big countries and annexing the small ones. Use your spies to make claims but dont overdo it. Coalitions will form, but dont be afraid of that. Just make sure the aggression impact on countries like Denmark and other big boys is minimal. Let the german minors form the coalitions while you are allied to great powers. And crush those coalitions early before they get too big, and dont wait for the aggressive impact to go down if its on small countries like saxony. Note that you can vassalize Hansa if they only took laurenburg, should be at around 96% war score needed. Only problem is Hansa is actually very powerful, fielding like 2-3 times more army than you, and poland has never wanted to help me against them because of distant war. But, if they are at a coalition against you, and you DOW someone whom is also at a coalition and is close to poland, then you can vassalize them through the war leader.
Reformation:
for historical purpose and flavor I'd recommend you take protestant, although it does make things a bit harder. Try to keep austria as an ally regardless which religion you pick. You need as many big growing allies as you can (you can go over diplo limit). Poland and france are usually best, but poland often can get mad if you dont give them provinces in a piece deal.
Further expansion: probably at this point, notably at around 1550, it makes no sense to have a present plan or advice because every game is different. Just do what you feel work for you. But expand fast, because you can if you have allies, and break those coalitions over and over. The ideas I'd recommend you start with are influence-military idea-admin idea. Simply due to monarch point ditribution. I personally would normally take influence-quantity-economics. Also note that controlling lubeck can like double your income, so try to take them out early. Also about 80% of my games were lost in a war vs Hansa in the early 16th century because a simply bohemia ally is NOT enough. Hansa is alot stronger than they appear.
By the end of the 15th century before the reformation you should control about 13-20 provinces. Whatever you do, dont expand into tutonic order because its not worth it, waste your aggressive impact somewhere else. The polish will get a -60 midifier against you for every tutonic province you control because they want it too. The polish should be your best and only real friend. Austria will not DOW other states in the empire and bohemia is too weak.
By the end of 16th century I'd expect you would control 35-60 provinces (directly or vassal). But the game is far from being won, especially score-wise. And last advice, most important as I have given it at start, is dont lose any war with brandenburg if you are the wargoal target. If you think you have no chance in a defensive war or you realized you underestimated your opponents, do whatever it takes to minimize the losses. Take yourself to bankruptcy if you have to. Losing a war like that, especially if your still under 20 provinces, would basically put you back where you started. Playing BB on ironman Hard AI Bonus AI is a decent challenge I believe
Opening: Your first target of conquest is obviously tuetonic order. You will need allies against them and their traditional union of Tutonics, livonians, hungarians and maybe mecklenburg. So on day one you send a diplomat to improve relations with poland while the other diplomat allies with austria and bohemia. Wait for relations with Poland to improve until you can ally them, should take around one year. THen DOW tutonics. Hopefully by this point austria doesnt start another war, and if it doesnt then all 3 of your allies will accept the war. Make sure to get neumark in the peace deal and you can try to get Danzig as well although it is alot of aggressive impact from the 12 tax province. Release Danzig as vassal if you do decide to get it, because you cant core it anyway (no access to it). Danzig is one of the best provinces in europe!
Hire one advisor, a diplomatic relations advisor. Your main enemy is aggressive impact. Your first idea should be influence. Rival tutonics, pommerania, and someone else you want but nobody big like denmark. You dont want Denmark to form coalitions against you.
Expansion from 1450-1550's
After recovering neumark and possibly Danzig, you want to stop moving east. That is polish territory and you want to keep good relations with them. If you move anymore east of Danzig, they will hate you and DOW you eventually, and they are by far the strongest in the area (overpowered if you ask me). Therefore you expand into pommerania and take provinces like altmark and mecklenburg and if you're lucky, hansa. I'd recommend vassalizing the big countries and annexing the small ones. Use your spies to make claims but dont overdo it. Coalitions will form, but dont be afraid of that. Just make sure the aggression impact on countries like Denmark and other big boys is minimal. Let the german minors form the coalitions while you are allied to great powers. And crush those coalitions early before they get too big, and dont wait for the aggressive impact to go down if its on small countries like saxony. Note that you can vassalize Hansa if they only took laurenburg, should be at around 96% war score needed. Only problem is Hansa is actually very powerful, fielding like 2-3 times more army than you, and poland has never wanted to help me against them because of distant war. But, if they are at a coalition against you, and you DOW someone whom is also at a coalition and is close to poland, then you can vassalize them through the war leader.
Reformation:
for historical purpose and flavor I'd recommend you take protestant, although it does make things a bit harder. Try to keep austria as an ally regardless which religion you pick. You need as many big growing allies as you can (you can go over diplo limit). Poland and france are usually best, but poland often can get mad if you dont give them provinces in a piece deal.
Further expansion: probably at this point, notably at around 1550, it makes no sense to have a present plan or advice because every game is different. Just do what you feel work for you. But expand fast, because you can if you have allies, and break those coalitions over and over. The ideas I'd recommend you start with are influence-military idea-admin idea. Simply due to monarch point ditribution. I personally would normally take influence-quantity-economics. Also note that controlling lubeck can like double your income, so try to take them out early. Also about 80% of my games were lost in a war vs Hansa in the early 16th century because a simply bohemia ally is NOT enough. Hansa is alot stronger than they appear.
By the end of the 15th century before the reformation you should control about 13-20 provinces. Whatever you do, dont expand into tutonic order because its not worth it, waste your aggressive impact somewhere else. The polish will get a -60 midifier against you for every tutonic province you control because they want it too. The polish should be your best and only real friend. Austria will not DOW other states in the empire and bohemia is too weak.
By the end of 16th century I'd expect you would control 35-60 provinces (directly or vassal). But the game is far from being won, especially score-wise. And last advice, most important as I have given it at start, is dont lose any war with brandenburg if you are the wargoal target. If you think you have no chance in a defensive war or you realized you underestimated your opponents, do whatever it takes to minimize the losses. Take yourself to bankruptcy if you have to. Losing a war like that, especially if your still under 20 provinces, would basically put you back where you started. Playing BB on ironman Hard AI Bonus AI is a decent challenge I believe
