Spain is the Emperor

[slaking]

Tl;dr: What's the best strategy for unlocking the 'Spain is the Emperor' achievement?

Heya,

A while back I wanted to achieve the 'Spain is the Emperor' achievement, so I thought up my strategy. I would join Spain to the HRE first, and then diplomatically persuade the electors to make me emperor.
First I figured out that you are not 'truly' in the HRE until your capital is. So the easiest way would be to capture Sardinia, make it my capital and join the HRE. The second problem would be my size; until I had about four provinces in total I'd be too big to join. (and at four provinces I'd still need 190 relations with the emperor)
The best solution for this would be to create vassals and feed them; re-annex them when I'm in the HRE.

This strategy was made up when patch 1.3 was out, but I didn't bother doing it. So yesterday I tried and got Sardinia from Aragon, which was nice. I was still too large to join so I had to sell provinces to vassals. Navarra didn't want anything due to 'lack of strategic interest' which now gives -1000 penalty when trying to sell a province. (the province bordered their territory, and was Basque culture)

So now that my strategy doesn't apply anymore since patch 1.4, what would be the best way to try to unlock this achievement?

 

[calvinhobbeslik]

Wait for patch 1.5, where vassals will always buy your cores and will immediately get cores on them.

 

[FrigidSoul]

Tl;dr: What's the best strategy for unlocking the 'Spain is the Emperor' achievement?

I'm not off-the-top-of-my-head familiar with the particulars of the achievement, but if all you need is to become Emperor as Spain, then I wouldn't bother trying to join the HRE first; just vassalize Electors until a majority vote for you.

 

[grisamentum]

Tl;dr: What's the best strategy for unlocking the 'Spain is the Emperor' achievement?

Heya,

A while back I wanted to achieve the 'Spain is the Emperor' achievement, so I thought up my strategy. I would join Spain to the HRE first, and then diplomatically persuade the electors to make me emperor.
First I figured out that you are not 'truly' in the HRE until your capital is. So the easiest way would be to capture Sardinia, make it my capital and join the HRE. The second problem would be my size; until I had about four provinces in total I'd be too big to join. (and at four provinces I'd still need 190 relations with the emperor)
The best solution for this would be to create vassals and feed them; re-annex them when I'm in the HRE.

This strategy was made up when patch 1.3 was out, but I didn't bother doing it. So yesterday I tried and got Sardinia from Aragon, which was nice. I was still too large to join so I had to sell provinces to vassals. Navarra didn't want anything due to 'lack of strategic interest' which now gives -1000 penalty when trying to sell a province. (the province bordered their territory, and was Basque culture)

So now that my strategy doesn't apply anymore since patch 1.4, what would be the best way to try to unlock this achievement?

As Spain there's no reason to try to shrink and join. Vassalize electors in wars. Should only take 3.

Go Diplomatic first and make a lot of friends in the empire so you can use enforce peace whenever electors attack. Go for small people you can take the wars over from.

If Venice gets small enough, often you can defend them from Austria, take over warleader, and then vassalize Austria's allies (who are almost always at least a couple electors).

 

[nmcj1996]

In 1.5 or maybe 1.4.1.1, not sure, you will be able to use this strategy since vassals will buy any provinces you have a core on. If you are going to do it that way i suggest selling provinces to aragon when they are in a pu, moving capital to ancona and joining that to the HRE when you have sold enough provinces then just do the decision form spain diplomatically to regain all your previous territories and more. Personally, I just conquered my way through Guyenne and Provence and vassalising electors then war deccing Austria when they had an old leader so i was sure they would'nt vote for him (since their large nation in HRE vote bonus = your vassal vote bonus and they will usually have more dip rep and they have imperial authority). You could also marry Burgundy at the start, release Styria from Austria and hope for Burgundian inheritance since that would make eveything a lot easier to conquer the electors.

Edit: beaten to the vassalising electors and vassal core feeding points

 

[eugene171]

I'm not off-the-top-of-my-head familiar with the particulars of the achievement, but if all you need is to become Emperor as Spain, then I wouldn't bother trying to join the HRE first; just vassalize Electors until a majority vote for you.

Yeah, anything else is over complicating it. Get some allies in the HRE, and jump into their wars to vassalize electors while doing your normal Spain things.