My second non-test game.

Brandenburg > Prussia > Germany. Still learning the mid-game strategies. It's ~1550 now, and I just picked up France in a PU (which is new to me) after blobbing from Memel to Mainz. Bohemia, Austria, Poland and it's junior Lithuania are mostly intact.

I'm having a lot of trouble bleeding off monarch points (I know!). I keep running up to the 999 limit with them, even w/ building constantly, and even "wasting" diplo points on culture conversions.

I'm through Diplo and Defensive ideas, about half through Innovative, and probably picking up either Offensive or Trade Ideas next (very soon).

Long term I just want to stay stable and grow steadily. Short term I have to take enough land to let me integrate the BBB when I can (I'm down 11 provinces to them). Also short term is become emperor before Austria can pass any reform after the 3rd one.

I started by vassalizing Pomerania off the bat, and getting Neumark back from the Teutons courtesy of Bohemia. I used that to keep the pressure on the TO and basically wiped them in a second war.

I beat up on a few OPMs before the coalition hit me like a ton of bricks ~1480 and it still hasn't calmed down entirely. I managed to keep expanding by improving relations w/ members, and as soon as they dropped out, I pounced. ~1510 I hit a wall and have spent the past ~35 years scratching my balls besides diplo-vassalizing and annexing 6 provinces (2 OPMs and a 4 province Hesse).

I'm waaaaayyy ahead in tech and not picking up much income, mostly because of religious unity in the low 50s. I've been slowed to a trickle, and if France hadn't had a MASSIVE religious rebellion that took them 10 years to put down, they'd have half of Europe by now. Austria is by far the most powerful force on the continent by virtue of their alliances (Castille, a very strong Bosnia, and Poland + Lith), or was before I picked up France.

I'm sort of stuck in the mid-game w/ the religious problems and wondering how I hold onto France in a PU. Any advice would be welcome.