@Rocket - I'm on the fence, either way is fine by me.  Militarily, they'd assign armor, but the type of group this is, and the cannon source from where the inspiration came from, would seem to allow for some freedom of armor/gear.  Perhaps just an optional quality to the armor, they can wear it, or not, but they are given it nonetheless. I think a uniform would be most helpful for NPCs of a similar or a lower rank.