BOARD Eldritch Horror gamers, any hints?

I've just begun playing and have died once. Lily Chen was fun, but now RIP. General gaming hints welcomed!

 

This game has been difficult for me to figure out. I've played it about four times with a small group of friends and my buddy got too frustrated with it and gave it to me as a "christmas present". I like it, but I find that there is a really steep learning curve and I'm constantly looking at faq's and reading and re-reading the manual.

 

It is challenging, and yes the manual proved its worth that first time out. I did learn to gather clues whenever possible as a strategy, even over killing monsters, because you want to solve the 3 puzzles. So, I guess it's a lesson in keeping one's eye on the prize, or something?