One thing that helped me was realizing that sometimes standing and fighting to clear out monsters isn't the best thing. Sometimes you'll just want to run, taking advantage of the fact that you can move twice if you don't attack, which can get you safely away from most monsters. Exploring and moving forward -- i.e. advancing the tile deck -- is the name of the game.
Enjoy CR, it's a good one !
Enjoy CR, it's a good one !