When we draw our items at the beginning of the game, we allow ourselves to draw an additional item from the particular deck if we happen to get a task or mission. Tasks are found in the general items deck, and missions are found in the unique items deck.

With tasks, we can just take keep one if we draw it and take another card. Tasks are not assigned a price. Missions are priced -- usually at either $3 or $2 -- so if we really do not want a particular mission we just return the card to the deck. If we really want it, we have to pay for it. In any event, we allow ourselves one additional draw after drawing a mission..

Our reasoning on this -- As an investigator, each of us is supposed to get a specified number of items -- general or unique. Seems like considering a task or mission as an item is illogical. They are special cards.

Are we the only ones who play this way, or do others play this way also?

Tasks are realistically doable and can be a help. I don't count them as worthless.

Not missions though. With the exception of that sacrifice one that removes a doom token or weakens an ancient one, they're all either impossible or so outrageously high risk/low reward that no one would ever bother with them.

So I wouldn't count tasks or those 2 missions as worthless redeals anymore than if I started off with whiskey instead of a weapon, but the rest of the missions are pretty much just amusing fluff that I'd be fine with disregarding.

Part of the purpose of tasks and missions is to keep the average cost of common items ($3) and Unique Items ($5) constant. Many great items have been added to the deck that cost more than the original deck (Flame thrower for example and Sword? of Carcosa) that something had to be added to keep the average and balance the decks. By allowing these cheaper items to be discarded you are giving yourself a slight advantage in that the average value of each investigators items will be higher than the average of the item decks.

No, you're not the only one. If I'm playing with buddies, if more than one card with a Task or Mission on it is drawn, the player must keep one, but may redraw any of the others. With Personal Stories in play now, too many "to-do lists" makes players cranky.

Mission: Impossible? Not really. But if you dont like them in the deck or have trouble completing them, try this: place them on the board at the 1st location they list or at a random unstable location. Players can buy them as their AE at that place. If gates open there you lose the mission to the box. This variant works well, it does not unbalance the game as much as some might suppose. I would not recommend this with tasks however.

Our house rule is that tasks or missions drawn as starting equipment may be discarded and the player can redraw. If it comes up during the game however, the player must keep it (if as the result of an encounter) or consider it one of their 3+ cards (if drawn while shopping.)