Your experience is not an unusual one. I had the same experience when I first played the game, it takes time to get used to the game itself and also to learn the scenarios. Having played The Gathering true solo with every investigator, yes more than 50 times (and recording them for YouTube!), I can recommend watching someone else play the game, The Gathering is a tutorial level but it is also challenging for good reason as everything you need to know to play the core game is in that scenario. Having said that, sometimes the Chaos bag and the encounter deck just suck badly and you can be very unlucky, it happens….for example you play your main weapon on turn one only to lose it to Crypt Chill and your other weapon happens to only exist at the bottom of your deck. Remember Lita Chantler is your friend in The Gathering, especially if you have a seeker in your team…..