Dark Elves or Lizardmen?

[Jiggs]

So I've been wanting to play Warhammer Fantasy for awhile now, I play 40k. I know next to nothing about fantasy and I would like to start up an army in the summer. So my question is what army is better Dark Elves or Lizardmen, I love the looks of both but I don't know which is better? I would want an army that is easy to paint snd easy and enjoyable to play for a newb.
like I said I know almost nothing about fantasy so if you can help me by telling about some of the play styles/tacticts it might help my decision if I happen to start fantasy.

Thanks for any help:D

[plasticaddict]

After having seen both played I would say that Lizardmen are the better army for a new player to learn. and lizards paint up easy. IMHO.

[Silver Drakes Legion]

Both armies are great armies and in the higher tiers of fantasy. Lizardmen will be easier to paint and better for beginners but go with the one you like more.

[TheBitzBarn]

I am biased I love my Lizard and they are a GREAT army to start with as the T4 S4 Saurus are very forgiving and they are a competitive army and They look good with simple paint and they Lok Great when you take your time. Plus my lizards have a taste for Dark Elf Flesh nothing is as Juicy as Dark Meat :)

[Bean]

As's been said, both are strong armies. I think Dark Elves are generally considered to be stronger, but the difference is likely to be insignificant to you.

Lizardmen are tough, resilient close combat troops that go into combat in big blocks and kick ***. They're supported by incredibly powerful casters, big powerful dinosaurs, and skirmishing skinks that are awesome in their own unassuming way.

Dark Elves are more about shooting and maneuvering. They have great shooty core choices (fast cavalry with repeater crossbows and line troops with repeater crossbows) powerful wizards, and a good selection of choppy melee blocks and strong skirmishers. They also have repeater bolt throwers (which are excellent) and a good monster, the Hydra.

So, really, it should come down to a stylistic choice. Do you want the fast, maneuverable shooty army, or the slow, tough melee army?

[Randroid]

I think either army is a good cross over from 40k as you can have a lot of skirmishing troops (same type of movement as 40k) and shooting.

I think LM would be better for a new player but the DE are probably more powerful in the long term. Depends on what you like really. You should choose an army based on the models and if you want to collect/build/paint them all first, how they play second.

DE are arguably better in CC but have a low Toughness and low Armor saves (and they are Elves BLECH). LM have dinosaurs and dinosaurs riding dinosaurs. The choice seems clear to me! :D

[Mazelf]

I would say LM are a lil bit easier to paint, both armies are pretty powerful but do play differntly, elf armies have more movement and Ld, but less toughness and str. LM have a nifty army wide rule which lets them roll Ld tests with 3 dice and discard the highest, they have better armor saves and toughness but dont have access to some of the nifty (and sneaky) tricks the DE have. I would say LM is the better army for someone whos never played WHFB, just as not many people start out playng eldar or dark eldar for 40k...

good luck and have fun (imho whfb is funner than 40k, altho I play both systems)

[hyrion]

LM are the more forgiving army for a beginner. The LM book is also more versatile than DE book, it has the ability to make an all monster, all saurus, all skirmisher, or heavy magic list.