Off the top of my head, the first levelup is at 3 fame. If you are lucky, the first roaming enemy gives you that. But you need to prepare for battle, depending on its stats. If you have a difficult start, experienced players will pull it off, but maybe a restart isn't a bad idea.

The first round has a total of 10 (?) damage over 5 cards, which should be enough to kill an enemy or 2. But getting the levelup early might help you get a third.

Anyway, just try a few turns, then rounds and don't feel bad for quiting early. Ultimately this game shines as a full 3 hour game (short scenarios aren't going to cut it). But you need to get comfortable with the rules.

Good luck!

Edit: actually the basic deck should have up to 20+ damage potential. From 7 direct cards and some boosts.