This wasn't really my first game, but it was the first I've played in a while, and the first I've played against someone of comparable skill. I won't got into a blow-by-blow - it looks like my opponent, jberrysf, will be doing that presently - so here is a summary of the lessons I I think I've learned. I'd love to read how they interact with your more experienced opinions, as well as the "common wisdom" of Lizardmen.
Tactics
• In the future, I need to be careful not to let my cold one riders get out ahead of the rest of my army. They slammed through one of my opponents units and got tar-pitted in the other. They then got bogged down for the rest of the freaking game. If I'd held them down and used them as more of a counter-punch unit to finish something off. Let the saurus blocks advance in front of them, with a gap between them wide enough for the cold one riders to fit through - something like that.
• In small games, having a lone Slann protected by the Higher State of Consciousness power really paid off. He was immune to most attacks - until my opponent got a giant tree on him, but by then the game was basically over anyway - and I didn't have to buy an entire unit of temple guard. In a larger game, I would definitely go temple guard - because they are incredibly badass and make a great hammer - but I don't need them the way I thought I did.
• Lore of Heavens... not so great, actually. I kind of think that I would have been better served by Lore of Beasts with all its nasty boost spells. The flyer was scary, but not that scary. It died to massed skink shooting.
List
• I'm thinking of swapping out one of my two saurus spear blocks for a largish skink cohort, dropping one of the slamanaders, and replacing it with a stegadon. I kind of think that the massive hitting power - not to mention shooting power! - of a stegadon would be neat. Additionally, having a more versatile unit - shooting as well as fighting if need be - would be good.
Rules
• EVERYONE MAKES BREAK TESTS! Even those ******* Immune to Psychology tree dudes. EV-ER-Y-ONE.
• Saves are modified by strength in all attacks, not just ranged attacks (I have no idea why we thought that).