So, first off, yes, we don't have a name for the game yet. Apparently they've narrowed it down to a few options, but for now the logic is that if they start calling it by something, the thing people will understand better is "MCDM's RPG." They're going to have to make that switch eventually, unless they decide to just toss flavor to the wind and go with it like G.U.R.P.S. (which, to be fair, is meant - I believe - to work in lots of different settings - it stands for General Use Roleplaying System.)
The MCDM RPG is going to be class-based, which I tend to prefer - while classes can theoretically narrow the archetypes that your character can fill, I often find that skill-based RPG systems then prevent two builds with similar methods from standing out very well from one another - if you're an offensive spellcaster in Skyrim, you're basically using all the same Destruction spells. And in a sense, I think that when you have an optimizer mentality, not having classes pushes you into a certain sameiness. When you have classes, you're essentially giving the theorycrafters one point of "pick one that just seems conceptually cool" and then let them worry about making that particular class work at its most effective.
I've always liked RPG classes. So, what is on the docket for this one?
Well, Matt Colville has said that they will need a minimum of six classes to start with, but the sample pages from the Backerkit crowdfunding campaign shows a few more.
As a note: this RPG is going out of its way to avoid using the terminology inherited from D&D. In some cases this feels wise - I always liked Agility better than Dexterity, though maybe because I played WoW before I ever played D&D - but in some places I think it's meant to simply advertise boldly that "our Paladin is not the D&D Paladin. It's not even called a Paladin!"
Every class has a unique "Heroic Resource," rather than something broad like spell slots. And depending on the class, you might build this up over the course of your adventuring day or you might find it limits you (such as the Talent, who gains a negative resource called Strain - I'll be curious to see how that works out in the finished product, because Strain feels like it should work pretty decently in 5E's attrition-based resource system, but I wonder how it will feel alongside the other classes in this one).
So, let's look at the list. I'm going to list the "primary stats" and suggest what I think they're meant to be analogous to.
The Censor:
The Censor clearly seems to be the Paladin analogue here, who has a resource known as Seals that they use to deal damage to foes and debilitate them. MCDM's earlier 5E class, the Illrigger, which recently got a revision, is the specifically-lawful-evil, Hell-affiliated version of this class, which will presumably be more heroically flavored. Might (Strength) and Presence (Charisma) are the recommended characteristics, which seems to confirm this as the Paladin-like entry.
The Conduit:
Conduits are, then, the main analogue for Clerics or Priest-like classes. The idea here is that your power comes from a god or gods (honestly, I'd love to play a cleric that exists in a more historically-accurate portrayal of a polytheistic faith. D&D Clerics and other religious classes tend to be Cultish in the original sense of the word, focused on a single deity despite most people presumably worshipping many). Conduits' resource is Wrath and Virtue, the former of which fuels offensive abilities and the latter of which fuels beneficial effects - apparently it's somewhat randomized how much of each of these resources you generate as you make "prayer rolls," which is pretty neat. Conduits will be using Might (Strength) and Intuition (Wisdom... or possibly Intelligence).
The Elementalist:
The Elementalist appears to be your classic Wizard/Sorcerer class, but with a stronger focus on elemental magic, blasting foes with fireballs and tidal waves. The heroic resource here is "Quintessence," though I haven't seen details about how it works (though it's a cool idea as the word refers to a fifth element in Alchemy). The main stats are given as Endurance (Constitution) and Intuition (which seems to be kind of Intelligence and Wisdom rolled into one).
The Fury:
The Fury seems to be the equivalent of the Barbarian, who is rewarded with their resource, Rage (Matt Colville seemed almost apologetic that they were going to this low-hanging fruit, but it's probably the best name for it) by throwing themself into the fray. Their main stats are Might (Strength) and Endurance (Constitution).
The Operator:
This is the most out-there concept, and has a rough analogue in the Armorer Artificer, possibly. You pilot a constructed "Frame" that is decked out with weapons and serves as a suit of armor, and also has its own mind. Your resource is Power, and your main stats are Reason (perhaps more traditional Intelligence?) and Intuition (Something akin to Wisdom?)
The Shadow:
The Shadow is your sneaky Rogue/Thief/Assassin class. Its resource is called Insight, and its main stats are Agility and Reason, with an emphasis on being a kind of glass cannon that runs away from foes after striking rather than standing their ground.
The Tactician:
Tacticians appear to be your Fighter analogue, perhaps being most specifically like a Battle Master, at least in terms of flavor. Tacticians get Focus as their resource, which, like a Fury's Rage, I believe only gets generated in combat. (We also get a preview of this class, though it'll take a bit of understanding the basic rules to figure out what it all means). Tacticians use Might and Reason (it seems to me that it's almost like they've divided up Intelligence and Wisdom and rearranged what goes where. Curious to see how it works).
The Talent:
The Talent exists in 5E, but I assume this will have some tweaks to how it works to fit into this game's rules. Talents are psychically gifted and can use the power of their minds to generate various supernatural (but not magical) effects like telekinetically tossing foes around the battlefield or muddling enemy minds with telepathy. Their resource is Strain, which can build up as they use their powers and can impose various penalties on them as it gets higher (though never interfering with their ability to manifest powers - no death spirals). Talents like Endurance and Reason.
The Troubadour:
Clearly an analogue for the Bard, the Troubadour uses a mix of musical power along with weapons to fight in a swashbuckling style. The Troubadour resource is Drama (which is amazing) and they prefer Agility and Presence.
Others?
Colville has said that their Beastheart class is a likely addition to this list if they can fit it in the main rulebook, as it's one of the first they prototyped. The Beastheart is a little like if a whole class was built around being a Beast Master Ranger, with a system for companion beasts (that are not all mundane beasts - you can have a Gelatinous Cube companion) that can actually exist without the class, but where the Beastheart is particularly built around using a companion. There's also the Null, which is an unarmored, unarmed combatant with clear ties to the Monk, but with an emphasis on being the "antimagic" class.
Obviously none of this is final, and I suspect we'll see some of this being reworked. Each class is going to have multiple subclasses to choose from, and I'll be eager to see how this allows them to branch out. The Operator in particular fascinates me, perhaps because there's nothing I like more than being the guy bringing in so-called anachronism to medieval fantasy.
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