Re: Champions 1st edition
Perhaps it's a way of saying he likes the 1E rules. Or, I thought he might just be thirsty. I know that I could still be drinking if everyone that took Acrobatics had to give me 10 pints.
To keep this post somewhat on topic...
I agree with Tasha (#2). You can make the game what you want. Use rules, or don't, as you see fit. It's mostly the flavor of the game, and you can do that with the current rules. And if you don't have a group that was playing back-in-the-day, they won't necessarily be on the same RPG nostalgia page as you.
I say this after having given some thought to the same idea just recently.