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I caught the "retro" bug late last year and started to give games like OSRIC, L&L, etc., another look.
One game that especially caught my eye was Red Box Fantasy by Paige Oliver. Unlike most d20 fantasy heartbreakers, race and class (called "Archetypes") are, again, unique. Human MU, dwarven wizards, and elven wizards all have unique abilities as per their race/class combo.
I like the concept, and am developing my own based on my Middle Eastern-esque desert setting. What special abilities would give to the following races/classes of dwarves, elves, halflings, human; bard, cleric, fighter, rogue, and wizard? Example: I'd have dwarven wizards (runecasters) infuse their spells into items and create protective wards using runes. Oh, and able to cast a limited number of spells while in armor. Elves wizards (Shapers), on the other hand, could tap into leylines of power to boost their spells as long as they stay linked. Halfing rogues (softpads) would be real good at setting/disabling traps and vanishing (almost ninja-like) while human rogues (bandits) would be more like thugs.
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I personally like odd combinations, drow paladin being my current one, but race specific class bonuses or race specific classes could be a cool idea. I have always thought of dwarfs of being more divine casters than arcane. Gnome/druid should be different because of their fey nature. The bloodline sorcerer powers, but for different class/race combinations could something to look at.
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It might be a good idea, but what about the player who wants to play another kind of Halfling Rogue? Stereotype race+class might not work for everyone, and it might limit your options.
Players still choose their feats to differentiating themselves from other race/class combos. But when you think about it, the current systems already lock PCs into "stereotypes". The classic example is the swashbuckler.
As for Dwarven Runecasters, they sound a lot like Artificers.
Yeah ;-)