This is a simple strategy guide intending to help people who are planning to start a campaign with HRE. Here I will be discussing the basic financial, military,territorial and financial strategies. I wish this guide to be a beginners guide so will not be adding any high end strategies.
Though sooner or later you will have to attack Rome.
Having six territories initially gives a great advantage. It enables you to expand to all most all directions. The main thing to be kept in mind is that expanding in all four directions may seem a good idea but will cause you trouble in the future.
In that case our primary concern is to get a secure home land. As the first step to achieve a secure home land we shall take the rebel settlement of Hamburg. You should be quick because our Danish friends are also after Hamburg but that is not a big matter of concern just make sure that you assault Hamburg in the first turn itself.
This can be done easily because an army without a general is idly placed near this castle. Use this army to assault Hamburg. If you feel that the given forces are not enough to take on the castle then you may reinforce it by sending the forces in Frankfurt.
I do often feel that the creators of the game had intended the HRE players to capture Hamburg and that is the only credible explanation of an idle army with no general to be placed particularly near that castle.
This is also our first step to eliminating one of our future foe namely Denmark. It is also one of the easiest to take care of since they have only one initial settlement. There is no need to worry about making Denmark your enemy because they are almost certain to attack you sooner or later.
Try to reinforce the castle of Hamburg because there is a good chance that Denmark will attack after a few turns. Even though there is a treat from Denmark you should not deplete all you resources on garrisoning Hamburg as a proper balance of economy and military should be strictly followed while playing HRE. Though we have plans to eliminate Denmark we cannot do this immediately because it will take almost 3 turns to take the castle (that is if you wait for reinforcements from Frankfurt. I recommend it though.) After capturing the castle you will have to build a mustering hall which will take 1 turn the Garrison Quarters which will take 2 turns to complete. When you have the garrison quarters you will be able to recruit sergeant spear man. These are the minimum preparations before taking on Denmark.
Simultaneous to the attempt on Hamburg send Prince Henry and his army in Staufen to take Metz. This too should be done in the first turn if possible because France will be after the Metz in a few turns.
Prague near Nuremberg may seem a good target to attack in the first few turns but such thoughts are the temptations of the Satan to lead a Holy Empire into peril. Prague is well garrisoned with a unit of armored sergeants so if you wish to take Prague in the first few turns you will be forced to send reinforcements from Vienna greatly depleting your military forces. Therefore it is best to leave Prague alone for the time being. You do not need to worry whether some other faction will take Prague it will take 2 turns for Poland (the near by opponent faction) to reach the settlement. Mostly Poland will not try to take Prague since there attention will be on Breslau. Rarely Poland attack Prague, even in that case there is not need to worry because our noble hearted Polish friends are sacrificing their priceless initial forces to weaken Prague so that we may take Prague with ease. To be straight if at all Poland attack Prague within few turns they are sure to fail.
Lead an assault on Magdeburg. When attacking from Nuremberg it will take 2 turns for your army to reach the target.
[This message has been edited by sebinshaolin (edited 05-30-2011 @ 11:46 AM).]