Restricting classes to certain races was never a good game design decision. If somebody wants to be a gnome Paladin or a half-orc wizard, just let them.
Yes and no at the same time (I so Tolkien elf! Woot! Woot!).
I'm fine with "this race is so and so, this class is so and so, and if they DO NOT fit, then you can't play X as Y". Hence if Elves and Half-Orcs are presented as inherently chaotic, then Lawful Paladins for them are a no-no. Or Half-Orcs are both too dim witted and too chaotic to be able to pursuit the scholarly lifestyle needed to become a Wizard or Monk.
But IMO 2ed went too far with race and allignment class restrictions.
I�ve been playing D&D so long that I can�t get interested in a character unless I find a way to make him weird.
IMO after some time a playing group chucks most of the rulebook out the window and homebrews things to suit them.
