An idea from another game

[Edman]

I've played a Swedish game called Matiné a lot. I don't like the basic premise, but when tweaked it works pretty damn well... most of the time. However, one of the more central assumptions is that you only pay points for ways you actually solve problems. A character might be a great singer, but he need not put points in a Sing skill. He can still sing really well, but he cannot solve a problem by, for instance, performing. There is also a corresponding contract with the GM - if you pay points in the Sing skill, then there will be times when it will prove useful. Maybe you could find an artifact that would let you amplify your voice, and attack with that. Maybe your singing skills will allow you to gain access to the ducal palace. You might even get clues to realize that the answer to an age-old riddle is hidden in a well-known children's song.

Would this be transportable to GURPS? You can still know things, without needing to buy them as skills, and if you do buy them as skills, the GM has to create situations where they come up.