This red scrip system doesn't seem very casual-friendly..

[PirateCat]

I'm not sure how crafting 10 level 60 items, spending 3-4 hours being FORCED as a crafter to gather red scrips, spending 11 hours a week on getting materials that have a low chance to appear so that you can finally craft some materials to make your one 2 star item for the week is progress. Then do it for the next year for your other items.

You're citing the worst part of the two different paths of progression. The numbers work out to it taking 60-something weeks worth of red scrips to gear up every DOH job provided that a player chooses the pure trade-in version of every gear item for which that is an option. Someone who's going that route isn't grinding the 11 hours of favors per week. Fenral seems content to choose this method, and I have to admit that it's tempting considering how awful the favor grind is right now.

I hate to say it, but this is very likely SE's intent - make it possible for really dedicated players to advance their gear faster, but gate it behind a mechanic that forces you to be really dedicated to going that route. Then provide the slower option for the people who can't be bothered with the "fast" method.