Novgorod strategy

From EU3 Wiki

Novgorod has wealth, but not manpower.

If you are playing as Novgorod, research the Government 1 tech and change to a feudal monarchy. Then you can form royal marriages with Russian minors, and then claim their thrones and annex them. However, only form one royal marriage at a time, as when you make a claim on another throne it reduces your relations with all countries that you have royal marriages with.Claiming the throne of another country gives you a casus belli [CB] with them, which decreases the amount of belligerence you get for declaring war on them.

To take Moscow, get a royal marriage and attempt to vassalize and diplo annex them.

As long as you have Moscow and Novgorad, and you are not at war, the Russian Nation event should eventually trigger. Having certain provinces [Pskov, Kaluga, Orel, Kursk, Tula, Olonets, Kholm, Vologda, Ustyug, Bogutjar, Zavolochye, and Archangelsk], as well as higher centralization makes the event more likely to trigger sooner. The event changes your nation's name to Russia, and gives your increased prestige, centralization, as well as a merchant, and increased tax revenue for one random province.