Tips on playing a Germanic nation

[unmerged(648529)]

Hey there,

I have NEVER played a Germanic nation at all, I have always felt somewhat held back by the idea of the HRE. However I would love to try one of them out with the goal being to become HRE emperor and then form Germany. Any tips or ticks would be greatly appreciated I wouldn't say that I am a new player, I have a good grasp on the games mechanics, but I'm looking for the easier way to become emperor and finally Germany

 

[grommile]

Bavaria, Brandenburg, and Teutonic Order are all reasonable candidates. Austria is possibly the best candidate, but only if you're happy with moving your capital and performing a culture shift.

 

[Icendoan]

Well, I would recommend playing as Brandenburg, Austria or Bavaria if you're looking for a Germany game. Basically, instead of conquest, your main means of expansion is PUs and vassals. If you already know all about PUs, get stuck in. If not, there's loads of threads about them. Bavaria and Austria are both very strong countries, and Brandenburg has the benefits of holding some of the required cores, and being very close to the rest of them.

In order to become Emperor, you must be a monarchy, not the lesser in a union, or a vassal, and your ruler must be male. Until you've passed loads of reforms, you need to secure votes from the electors. You do this by vassalising them. If you annex them, then the electorship will pass on to some other country, and you won't be any better off. If you vassalise a majority of electors, you're pretty much always going to be emperor. Make sure they are the same religion as you, and if you can get a conversion of you and the electors to another religion (probably protestant) your position will be very safe.

Once you're emperor, you can defend the empire, release states, and convert states to your religion to gain influence, and you can use this to pass reforms. If you don't want to form the HRE, don't pass the last reform.

You should use your position to gain PUs and inherit the required countries. Remember that once you're emperor, you can't get the unlawful province event, so it's only your infamy burn that holds you from taking provinces of theocracies and the like, which you cannot PU.

 

[unmerged(648529)]

Thank you very much! I think Austria would probably be the easier option, however I have never done a culture shift before. How would I go about this?

 

[grommile]

Thank you very much! I think Austria would probably be the easier option, however I have never done a culture shift before. How would I go about this?

Step one: Acquire enough provinces of your desired culture that it is the single most numerous, by province count, in your country.

Step two: Core at least one of them, and move your capital there (-4 stab, -1000 ducats).

Step three: Recover your stability. Hope your new capital doesn't flip to your existing primary culture before you finish doing so.

Step four: Take the "Accept Culture Shift" national decision.

 

[NoobRage]

Move your capital to a province of another culture and enact the Culture Shift decision. I think you need to be Saxon or Prussian to form Germany, but im not sure of that. Im sure however that Austrians cant form Germany.

 

[Magnive]

Have another culture become the dominant, and then move your capital to a province of that culture. Making another culture dominant can be done by doing things such as releasing nations of your primary nation, such as Styria or Tirol, as Austria.

 

[unmerged(204522)]

Move your capital to a province of another culture and enact the Culture Shift decision. I think you need to be Saxon or Prussian to form Germany, but im not sure of that. Im sure however that Austrians cant form Germany.

any german culture is allowed except for austrian and dutch.

 

[Haydn]

Its pretty sad that Paradox devs don't fix the 'form Germany' decision. All Germans (except Dutch) should be able to form Germany.

 

[unmerged(648529)]

Thanks for all the help, I'm currently the Emperor and I have all the electors voting for me again, but I have only managed to make one of them a vassal, all of the others won't even become my ally (impossible) and half of them cant make royal marriages due to their government type. So should I make them vassals by force?

 

[Dauth]

That is the best way to guarantee the Imperial throne. Vassals any way as long as it happens.

 

[NoobRage]

This thread inspired me to finally do a Austria run, and be warned, dont make the same mistake as I. Dont expand in the HRE. I have so much unlawful imperial territory that i make yearly infamy. D'oh! And i cant even form Germany to get rid of the penalty of not having cores. So either leave the HRE day 1, expand through PUs and vassalization or just ignore it.

 

[gobl1in]

Apologies if I am hijacking the thread. I have started a few games as Brandenburg now and having dissolved alliance with Luxemburg etc, I usually have to wait 20 + years before I am able to be free of them and do my own thing. Is there any way to be rid of them sooner or does it just depend on luck ?

 

[unmerged(204522)]

cancel the alliance and declare war.

 

[grommile]

This thread inspired me to finally do a Austria run, and be warned, dont make the same mistake as I. Dont expand in the HRE.

Nonsense.

Expand in the HRE. Just learn how first.

 

[grommile]

cancel the alliance and declare war.

As long as you know how to beat Bohemia with an inferior army, anyway.

 

[NoobRage]

As long as you know how to beat Bohemia with an inferior army, anyway.

Nonsense. When you DoW to get rid of a PU, the leader is always the leader of the PU, so move all your army to Luxemburg and DoW, assault and WP.

 

[grommile]

Nonsense. When you DoW to get rid of a PU, the leader is always the leader of the PU, so move all your army to Luxemburg and DoW, assault and WP.

I've been playing 5.2. Assaults are pretty much suicidal there.

 

[NoobRage]

I've been playing 5.2. Assaults are pretty much suicidal there.

It doesnt matter. As long as you make Luxemburg surrender before Bohemia wins the war, you have won. So assault as much as possible to make it surrender faster.

 

[grommile]

It doesnt matter. As long as you make Luxemburg surrender before Bohemia wins the war, you have won. So assault as much as possible to make it surrender faster.

"Oh look. I have lost literally every infantryman in this stack."