Last year I discovered Total War Warhammer 2 and the faction that stood out the most was the Lizardmen. I loved everything about them, and I hardly played any other factions. It was because of this game that I discovered AoS. At first, I thought the tabletop game was based on Total War. After I found out that it was actually the opposite, I felt like one of those people who say "did you know that The Lord of the Rings was made into a book?". I had been trying to find a game for my brother that had figures and was simple enough for him so he wouldn't lose interest, so AoS was perfect for that! I'm very excited to get into the hobby! I haven't actually played any games yet, but I know it's going to be great!
Welcome to the forums! I would recommend getting a starter box and uses the guidelines in this thread to get the most value out of it. One thing I sort of regret is not keeping my painting apace with my model collection. I'm okay with having hordes of unpainted models, but I've had multiple friends that ALMOST got into the hobby and quit early. The fell into this trap. -They got really excited and bought a bunch of stuff. -They painted a small number of awesome looking models. -They realized how long it will take to finish all the models they bought, got frustrated and gave up. If painting is important to you, I would recommend building your collection slowly and use proxies to make up for things you are missing in your early games OR become comfortable using unpainted models. Either way, I'd start with the starter box. Let us know if you have any specific questions about gameplay, fluff, painting, or anything else!