Well that's what I mean, I would get this game because Gary made it and I'd assume it has a lot of wisdom in it that I could benefit from absorbing.
What would the new appreciation be for 1E?
I could go on for a long time about this, but I'll go with just one example with a lot of layers.
So LA is a skill-based game but it does have class-like archetypes called Orders. Right off the bat, they work very differently from classes of most other RPGs. Usually you choose your class and that in turn sets the parameters for the character's skills and abilities. And your level determines how good you are at those things. And some skills or abilities may advance more quickly than others.
In LA it's the complete opposite. You choose your abilities. Your abilities then qualify you for membership. How high your scores are determine your rank (which is kind of like level). Something about this rings more true than how other RPGs do it. There are also some interesting implications to this.
It suggests these aren't just abstract categories put in place for game purposes. They're partly that but they also represent in-game organizations. Orders do not get tangled up in any one particular organization. They are more general than that. For instance, being a captain in the soldier order doesn't mean you can go over to the enemy's army and start ordering their men-at-arms around. But there still is some recognition of rank. Like you're not going to negotiate a cease-fire with a mere corporal.
So what if that's what classes are supposed to be like in D&D? What if that's why they were given titles? The titles in D&D don't make a lot of sense, sure. Here's an area where LA not just boldly stepped backwards to the old idea of class titles, but they also stepped forward in improving them. But all of a sudden explains things like why three rangers can't operate together. Because somewhere in the woods there's an actual lodge where they hang out, drink hot cider, and exchange information and stories. And there's actually something like union rules. And those can be as arbitrary as anything.
Here's another thing about the LA approach to classes. Think about demi-human class/level restrictions in D&D. In LA, there is no upper limit on ratings for any abilities for any race. There are some abilities some races can never learn, but they are few, and it's mainly Orcs and Oafs who face that restriction. Ilfs may learn any ability at all. Dwarfs are only excluded from learning Chivalry. So for the most part, you have unfettered access to building the non-human Avatars any way you choose. However, most of them have a hard time fitting into the Orders. There's no limit on the capacity of non-humans, but they are hindered and even limited within Orders, which, again, are not merely abstract game elements. They represent in-game social orders. And in a humanocentric world, that makes them mainly human social orders.
So what if that's how it's supposed to be in D&D? All of a sudden any arbitrary class and level restriction makes all the sense in the world. Cuz humans don't accept you to go any further than that is all the explanation that's required. It gets even more interesting, though. There's an exception to the rule. All but half-orcs may advance without limit as thieves. Turns out the one class that represents those who operate outside of the established social order allows limitless demi-human advancement. How's that for a coincidence?
Dig a little deeper. Imagine an elf thief who's had the opportunity to gain XP for a thousand years. Reaching who knows what level. Thief THAC0 in 1E may be capped at 10, but they keep gaining 2 hp for level. At some point, that keeps the thief alive long enough to outfight any human fighter. The thief class can also use magic. When read from scrolls. How many scrolls could an elf thief accumulate over a thousand years? At some point he has more magical fire power than any human mage. Dwarves, for that matter, also get to use magic via the thief class even though they are barred from the magic-user class entirely. Like LA, there is no upper limit at all in BtB D&D to the actual capacities of demi-humans. Only to their recognition in the social structures of a humanocentric world. Everything is possible. There are only different paths to achieve things.