I'm considering getting into this game. However i'll need to order all in advance via the shop and i'll only have my brother to play against.
So... i have a few questions.
1) What factions do the Light / Dark Starter groups belong to?

I myself prefer armored/Dark Knight/Imperial/autocratic archetypes.

My brother is more the kind of guy who enjoys assassins, rogues, Chinese and Vincent Valentine archetypes (dark, evil but not effeminate).

Chars he'd like are those like Kairos, Harod, Ophiel, Kyler, Jaing Pao and the likes.

I myself am more partial to chars like Tsubasa, Duncan, Samiel and Lilian.

2) What faction(s) would be best for that and grow forth out of the Dark and Light starter?

3) How many figurines stand per side on average for a good game?

4) How easily are the minis painted? Do they require a degree of assembling like in some mini's games?

1) The Light starter has a member of the Church faction (Sister Evangeline) and a member of the Empire faction (Kronnen).

If you like the high-armor autocratic types, then Empire is definitely up your alley. If you are playing Saga 2, you will be able to augment your list with someone from the Wanderer faction as well. I'm thinking you may enjoy Faust Orbatos, Dereck Shezzard and Khaine D'Lacreu, or perhaps even Tsubasa Kurokame, to bring some more heavy metal or fighting might to your team.

Anyone who likes assassins and rogues will find the Azur Alliance attractive, and perhaps the Wissenschaft as well. Wissenschaft is definitely effeminate, though. Again, in Saga 2 he could grab one Wanderer to join his ranks, allowing him to bring in Tokanosuke or Jiang Pao. It sounds like the other direction he leans, style-wise, is Samael, but those do not fit so well into the stealth/assassin archetype, IMO. Actually, in the case of your brother, I would avoid organizations and stick with the Darkness faction.

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2) Because the Light starter splits between two organizations, it's less clear where to go between Church and Empire. I would suggest going with your gut on that one. It sounds like Empire is your best choice.

The Dark Starter is 100% Samael.

What am I doing? I'm buying up Wanderers and anyone neutral to augment the starter boxes. If I avoid declaring Organizations and stick with the Light or Dark factions, I will have a good pool of minis with which to create a force, as neutrals can be picked up by both Light and Dark. From there I hope to get a better grip on the game and realize what I'm missing and find the Dark/Light mini that fills that role, as well as zeroing in on a play style I like and thus the Organization that works best for me.

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3) A good game starts at 150 lvls. For newer players, you will want to avoid the high-price units and make a list that maxes out your model count. This affords a buffer for mistakes in the game. So 150 lvls could field up to 4 models and as few as 2. I would creep up from 150 to 200 as rapidly as you can afford and get 6 games under your belt. Then assess your situation and move forward from there.

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4)

• Some models that require no assembly: Bael, Dark Chesire, Dereck Shezzard, Veronika, Akio Kageshima, Sophia Ilmora
• Some models that require minimal assembly (1-2 parts, easy to attach): Kronnen, Sister Evangeline, Faust Orbatos, Takanosuke, Damien, Duncan Reid, Janus Faith, Lorenzo Cortez
• Some models that require moderate assembly (>2 parts or 1-2 parts difficult to attach): Celia, Rayne, Tsubasa Kurokami, Feng Yi
• Difficult Assembly: Shinigami Ayl (I hear), Konosuke

Sorry I can't provide a more definitive list - there are too many to list and I have only just begun my assembly and painting of them. Some may disagree on some of the moderate difficulty ones. I simply have trouble with some of the models with the small contact points.

I hope this helps!

Thanks for the feedback.
Using the army list and the two starter packs. I've decided after talking to my brother to go for Empire and Samael.

So far i got this:

Empire:

Kronen (from Starter) = 40 pts

Duncan Reid = 40 pts

Lilian Virgil = 45 pts

Samiel, the Black Lion of Abel = 50 pts

-> 180 pts

Samael:

Dark Chesire = 50 pts

Bael = 45 pts

Kairos = 45 pts

Ophiel = 70 pts

-> 210 pts

For Samael i'd like to at least put these 4 in. My brother loves those two evil brothers. Possibly adding in one more. (perhaps Jian Pao (40pts) or another Samael member)

Empire I'd like to at least have Kronen, Lilian and Samiel in. But i like all others from the Empire faction and the wanderer Samurai.

Any suggestions on balancing them out?