Well, in the case of the movies the Cimmerian aren't ready when their village was raided.
They are in the beginning of the 2012 film when the Vanir raid them and Conan is "born on the battlefield".
The Cimmerians are the proto-Celts. Specifically, the Cimmerians are the proto-Irish and Scots (the Celtic cultural influence spread all over Europe and into what is today Turkey). And, like them, it's OK for women and children to use distance weapons and get armored up a bit.
Note in the beginning fight, Conan's mother is wearing armor (looks like brigadine with small armored plates) where Conan's father is wearing something less protective--like leather armor.
Among the Celts, as a man becomes a warrior, use of the bow for war or thick, heavy armor is frowned upon. It's not that you can't do it--it's that people will think you a pu^^y if you do. Beyond the throwing of a hand axe, real men are the ones who charge into battle with their great swords.
Anyhow, Cimmerians probably wouldn't have worn very heavy armour going by the little we know of them - they'd have had more trouble "swarming" over the walls of Venarium if they well in full coats of armour. Although for all we know they brought ladders.
There is a book, sanctioned by Conan Properties, Inc. as "official", written by Harry Turtledove called Conan of Venarium that tells the story. I quite like the book. It's a subtle tale--not what you would expect from a Conan story.
Many Conan fans pan the book, though, because it is so different from what is expected (and because Turtledove disregarded any other pastiche to tell his tale, and therefore, his "facts" don't line up with regard to Conan's village and the people in it).
It's also likely most Cimmerians were simply too poor to wear suits of mail. A bit of boiled leather, a helmet and a shield might be all they could afford.
In the RPG, the Cimmerians are given the Heavy Armor Feat for free, so, at least from the game's prospective, they know enough about it to be comfortable. I've struggled with that since I don't see Cimmerians strutting around in plate. The game doesn't use standard D&D armor types. Light Armor is something like a leather or quilted jerkin or even a mail shirt. Medium Armor is a brigadine coat, scale corselet, mail hauberk, breastplate, and the like. Heavy armor is usually a combination of ligher stuff: Usually a mail hauberk combined with with something (like a breastplate or scale corselet). Heavy armor can also be plate armor.
Cimmerians don't seem to wear anything too much heavier than leather and brigadine. You don't see a lot of mail. Therefore, that keeps the (in game terms) Cimmerians in mostly light armor. Even Conan's mom in the beginning of the 2012 film is wearing, at best, Medium armor.
I've reasoned that the Cimmerians are used to fighting with many heavy leather layers--animal skins and such to keep them warm--thus, when they do don Heavy armor, it's not that much of a stretch.
Well they might just not have had very good bows.
This is part of it. In the game, I only allow the Cimmerians to use hunting bows, which do not allow STR bonuses for damage. Other cultures, like the Hyrkanians and the Stygians have mastered the bow, and thus, have composit bows and those that are set for particular STR ratings.
Ta, I'd forgotten about that waterwheel. Now you mention it I remember noticing it when I saw the movie back when it came out. It just feels much too industrial for the Cimmerians.
I agree. That was a pretty advanced smithy, especially in sight of the rest of the very primitive village.
In my game, though, it could exist--it just wouldn't be representative of all of Cimmeria. It would be that clan's strength.
