[quote=Alfhedil]
I lean towards the actual history of the matter, in that what Legion has posted is historically correct. However in the past we had a similar issue regarding gunpowder in general, in which we ended up going with the "Don't be a Dick" rule. Essentially, each person was relatively free to construct their nation and military as they wished, so long as they clearly weren't trying to one-up someone else, or abuse a mechanic. To that point, I feel the reverse should be held in regards to cannons, in that they should be allowable as land-defenses, and limited for naval usage.However, as always, "Don't be a Dick" supercedes "Be realistic"
[/quote]

Then that's what we'll do.
Welcome to the GM spot, Alfhedil. In all seriousness, please do a better job than I did.