Vitya.
As I said, I don't like leapers, because, to me, chess is a blocking game. But, if you see chess as a war game, you can think of leapers as a kind of artillery, firing behind the enemy line...
As for pawns, I have a softspot for pawns, all kinds, and for hunters (pieces that move and capture in diferent ways). I even looked for a variant where the pawns was in the first line, protected by the other pieces.