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So after some advice here,

I plan on starting out with either resurectionists or colettes arcanists.

What do I need to start the game? do I have to buy a starter set or can I just DL the rules and print off some cards?

There are a lot of options just now...If you're set on either ressers or Colette, the starter set isn't a BAD purchase, exactly, but it's not ideal, either. You'll want to buy the appropriate crew box (the plastic crew boxes come with the cards you'll need; the older metal crew boxes will be a far bigger hassle). You'll want to get either the pdf of the rules from drivethrurpg.com or buy the paper rules manual, and you'll want to buy a fate deck (you can use regular playing cards, including 2 jokers, as well, but this is again a bit of a hassle).

That right there will be enough to get you started and learning. Plastic models will come with all the cards they require, plus drivethrurpg now has a print-on-demand option to get additional cards. You'll need to get a few more models than just one crew box to get up to the standard 50ss game size, but you can be all in and playing games for under $100.
Of course, there's also the full size rule book, plus the Crossroads and Shifting Loyalties expansions, with the cards for every model in them as well as additional fluff, scenarios, and a campaign system...and then all the other crews you want to play that you didn't even think of at first...but this is like any other minis game in that respect. The initial buy-in really is quite inexpensive and can give you enough to have fun with for a good long while.

Basically what he said ^

I would buy the rules manual and a fate deck, then buy the master box of your choice plus one or two other models to get you up to 50ss.

For Colette, just her box plus a pair of Coryphee (which I would magnetise to use as a duet as well) would put you up at 50ss with a couple of upgrades.

For ressers it depends on the master. Most of them require a bit more investment to give you a decent summoning pool. Nicodem for example can summon just about any undead model in the game, so you'll end up with the entire faction. McMourning or Seamus on the other hand have much more limited summoning so you'll be able to get by with only a couple of extra bits.

perfect thank you, colette + the coryphee was actually on my short list!

in terms of game wise, Im not crippling my chances to win with these units? I picked them due to model aesthetics with no rules knowledge

Colette is widely considered to be one of the stronger masters, although the difference between top and bottom is nowhere near as big as in 40k for example. Even her thematic crew is pretty good, so you're definitely not handicapping yourself.

Once you've got a few games in you'll see what you need to add for the different schemes, but again, it'll only be a few more models. Colette is very flexible, and just swapping out a couple of her crew members can make a big difference.

Something else to remember is your performance will vary depending on the schemes and strategies you draw. Basically, your in game objectives are known before you create a list. So buy having a small pool of units, you might find yourself having more of a challenge to do some of these.

Some masters are a lot more flexible than others, being generally better at a wide variety, while some masters playstyles focus them on a few objectives. Masters whose style focuses on a few tend to be very good at them, however.

This isn't to say you need to own the entire faction to do well - it's quite common to stick to a single master and figure out a core of models and a small sideboard to swap in as objectives call.

As you're starting, that's a bit ahead of where you are. Just pick a master, fill it to 50ss, and get alot of games in and have fun. When you start wanting to expand, then have a look at how you want to expand.

On skills needed though, Ressers are a lot more straight forward. Nico was my first back into the game after a few years and im glad. March up summon and murder.

Collette has a lot of different things working at once and is very movement intensive/combo intensive. Your models while hard to hit crumble very fast when they are hit. Very finesse army. Shes good but a lot harder to play

ok that sounds alright to me, I knew that the game allowed me to have a side board of sorts to pick my gang based on the scenario, but thats maybe for once I have the core mechanics down and want to expand.

Good to know she is a decent pick, if shes a steep learnign curve I am ok with losing a bynch of games if it means i get to paint and use the cool figures

No, that's an old edition rulebook. These are the rulebooks you need.

Either
Core rulebook (includes fluff and all unit cards from wave 1)

Or
Rules manual (core rulebook without fluff or unit cards). This is much cheaper, but again, you only get the rules.


Crossroads, contains unit cards for wave 2 units and more fluff. Pretty sure there's no rules in this one.


Shifting Loyalties, contains more fluff and wave 3 unit cards. Also contains campaign rules.


Old rulebooks are still available, even from Wyrd IIRC, because they contain fluff. The game has a progressing setting, so each new edition moves the setting forward. If you want to read old fluff, you need the older edition rulebooks. However, as the rules are out of date, they're super cheap.

edit - I see you removed the question about the rulebook. Pity, this took me a while to cobble together at work.

Thank you loki that is very helpful

Ill pick up the 101 manual then