Strawpoll: Do you tell your players the name of the monster, or do they have to figure it out from the description?

[Fauchard1520]

Comic for illustrative purposes.

 

[Morrus]

First time I describe, then I use the name thereafter. Describing orcs in great detail repeatedly would get mighty boring mighty quick.

 

[Odysseus]

Common,(things they should recognize) monsters I'll name. Anything else I'll describe.

 

[Lanefan]

Describe first, then name later; but I'll change the names as well from the standard (e.g. replace the word 'Orc' with 'Grash' wherever it appears) to keep players on their toes that much longer. It's amazing how much of a difference it makes.

 

[Eltab]

Describe the first time the PCs meet one / some.
Names after a few encounters or if they ask a loremaster "what is it?"
By the time my Tiamat group went after the Green Wyrmspeaker, I would say "about two dozen kobolds", everybody would look at the Wizard and say "Fireball" - because we all knew Kobolds didn't have the HP to survive that.
Nobody has actually sat at a table I DM'ed with a Monster Manual in their lap, trying to figure out names from my descriptions. Probably because they saw me trying to do same as a player and just failing.