You might want to take a look at Age of Wonders 3 as well, which comes out in about 18 days or so. That's got the leveling as well, and looks super-promising.
That's not saying you should forget about LH , it's a worthy game, and it's going to have expansions and a new game this year as well. (You could wait for the new LH later on this year) It does come up on sale fairly often, if you scour across the discounting sites- you should be able to pick it up half off in a few weeks.
This isn't a slam on LH at all- it's a worthy game, very good. It's just there are a lot of really good choices coming out soon, it's a great year for TBS gaming.