This goes both as a GM or PC: I do not feel comfortable to play on culture references that I don’t know first hand. I have come to prefer playing humans only in my games. There are non human NPC folks in my games but they don’t mimick an existing culture. I have been playing The Dark Eye in a group and that has been cirngeworthy to me, seeing all these cultural references mashed together in Aventuria…

My point was, that I do use all the quick reference hints that you would find on the back of a GM screen, I just lay them out flat before me or have them in my analog binder where I keep my notes. That’s a small binder where I can insert sheets that I need for a session and can reference older notes. The downside is that, if you play with minis etc, you would need an extra area to prepare and hide them for a surprise effect…

I have a ring binder book where I print out my session notes, including monster stats. That I have laying flat on the table. For newer systems I also include a cheat sheet for the most important rules (or page numbers in the rule book!). Maps etc. I don’t like having a wall between me and my players.

Apart from the great games that have been mentioned in this thread already, I recommend having a look at Monster care squad, where a team of specialists helps monsters heal and solve problems around that. It is not as polished as it should be imho, but the world is imaginative and the solution mechanic might be fun to play.