Pulp Cthulhu: As a keeper, when do you award pulp or insane talents?

[imakeeper]

As a keeper, I'm about to start my second Pulp Cthulhu campaign, and I'd like some feedback on when to award new pulp talents or insane talents to players. The rulebook provides some very open-ended guidance on this matter:

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Outstanding Achievement (p. 69)

The Keeper may recognize outstanding achievement by awarding a hero with a new Pulp Talent. Such an award should be made rarely, perhaps once or twice in a hero’s career. The Keeper can decide if the player is allowed to pick the new talent or if it should be related in some way to their previous action and success.

 

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Insane Talents (p. 75)

At the Keeper’s discretion, when a hero is pushed over the brink of insanity (i.e. they are either temporarily or indefinitely insane), they begin to discover hidden qualities that hitherto remained untapped. Once triggered, an Insane Talent is added to the hero’s sheet and is available hereafter to the hero (whether sane or insane), in the same way as the talents acquired during hero creation.

In my previous Pulp Cthulhu campaign (THS), I awarded pulp talents or insane talents to players whenever it felt appropriate. However, this approach led to some confusion among the players: "Why did he get one and not me?" and "How many extra can we get?" To address this, I'm now trying to establish some house rules for when to award talents. Here’s what I've come up with:

To gain an insane talent:

• When you become insane, make a Cthulhu Mythos skill check. On a success you gain an insane talent. (Borrowed from Seth Skorkowsky's pulp review - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYb5eCixCrA&) 
• First time a player's sanity is 30 or lower, while insane.
• At the Keeper’s discretion, when a hero is pushed over the brink of insanity.
• Your character cannot gain more than 2 insane talents.

To gain an pulp talent during character development:

This is based on Craig Pay's houserule (https://craigpay.com/2023/03/17/archetype-development-in-pulp-cthulhu/ ). I only added the talent token idea.

During character development, after players have rolled for their skill development, a Keeper may award one of the following bonusses if a hero’s behaviour has exemplified that of their Archetype,:

• 1D6 points to ONE of the listed Archetype skills for their hero, chosen by the player. (A skill can be increased above 100% in this way)
• Receive a talent token. Once a player has collected 2 talent tokens, they must immediately choose a new pulp talent during character development. A character can gain no more than 2 additional pulp talents.

This bonus should not be awarded if a hero deliberately behaved in a way atypical for their archetype: a Sidekick abandoned another hero, a Grease Monkey ignored some interesting new technology. This bonus should also not be awarded if a hero used their archetype as an excuse to behave like a douchebag towards another hero: a Femme Fatale must find someone else to double-cross.

Example: Betty Carter is a Pulp Hero, a Seeker, and a Private Investigator. Seekers like puzzles, using their brains to solve problems, always in search of the truth no matter what the cost. Betty’s player gets into her archetype as a Seeker, pouring over handouts, encouraging the other heroes to investigate the mystery, roleplaying Betty as a relentless nosey parker. At the end of the scenario the Keeper awards Betty with +1D6 points in a skill of her choice from those listed for a Seeker (Pulp Cthulhu, p.21): Accounting, Appraise, Disguise, History, Law, Library Use, Listen, Occult, Psychology, Science (any), Spot Hidden or Stealth. Betty picks Spot Hidden, currently at 99%, and about to go to 100% or more!

What do you think?

Do you think these house rules are fair for all players?

What do you think about the amount of talents a player can receive? I see insane talents and pulp talents as separate things. This means that, technically, some heroes could end up with a maximum of 4 talents (2 insane talents and 2 pulp talents), though the chances of gaining an insane talent are low. Additionally, to earn a pulp talent, a player would need to go through at least 2 character development phases (so, finish 2 chapters of a campaign).

As a keeper, when do you award pulp or insane talents?

I'm seeking feedback from both keepers and players! Other ideas are very welcome! 

 

[EricW]

I would see insane talents as part of the character, they are part of the character's deteriorating grip on the human view of reality, a bit like accumulating mythos skill. As their grip on reality fails, their insights into the mythos give them an increasing possibility of developing terrifying new abilities which only serve to accelerate their fall.