Wish there was a way to generate a random NPR close to the player starting point. I really dislike the thought of creating it myself, ruins the feeling of complete lack of information I love so much. But normally generated NPR can be very far away from your starting point..
You can generate a random low-# system at setup and place an NPR on one of the worlds. You won't know where the NPR is, and you can adjust its homeworld minerals if need be.