As a game master, i'm kind of curious as to our role in this game. Are we simply missing from the opening scene? Are we the first to die? Do we play as an NPC?

Without knowing... well.. Anything about the system, I had a few ideas for things I could try. First, I am late home from work when the attack starts and I am stranded elsewhere and I send text messages to the group. Second, I thought that taking the group on "field trips" to help them plot their actions might be a good way to draw them in. When I pointed out that we'd look and sound a little strange talking about how to avoid the zombie invasion in public like that, one of my group responded (bless her heart) "Even if we were, we'd still be far from the craziest people in that Wal-Mart"

I also wonder how the stats will work. It kind of sounds like a form of Tri-Stat, but how would you keep the players honest? Maybe have the rest of the group decide on what the stats for the one player are and the player remains silent, and so on to each player in turn.

All of the above? Gamemasters can likely play as they wish, they also have to play everyone else including other survivors, looters, and all the zombies.

Based on the spanish version of the game when a player is finished with his character he presents it to the group and makes a case for why the stats are dispersed the way they are, the group can say yay or nay.

Obviously the gm will be playing the npcs, but the opening scene starts as the group is sitting down to play an rpg. Because the gm is there, there has to be an excuse as to why the gm isn't running with the group. My question is what does the game actually have in mind.

I like that. It means the players don't need to worry about victimization. The player presents an idea and the group tweaks it.

I reckon, my reasoning would be the group is running away and my friends tripped me to get away. Haha.

I'm not sure man, there will definitely be interesting reasons for the lack of the gm. I cannot wait to lose days just reading this book.

Reason why the Gm isn't with the group?

Easy, you (the GM) are on vacation when the zombie apocalypse begins.

Maybe you are somewhere safe (tropical island) or already surrounded by zombies (overrun tropical island resort).

the thing is, your players don't know what happened to you and are to busy trying to survive.

Or you could be patient zero in your local aera. You are already dead and have caused a zombie outbreak. Now your friends gotta try to survive...