I've been playing for about a month now and my main has accumulated about 150k in two generations. The way I did that was to run around in peasant gear and a mid-range 2h sword until level 25 until I put on my default gear. Generally speaking, with my usual gear (Klappvisier, Heraldic mail, Wisbys, Shynbauls, and Danish) I would wander between breaking even or losing a bit if I was on the losing team, to generating decent coin if I ran with a good team to play with. Now, its an entirely different story.
I find that the repairs don't come as often, however the cost is like being hit by a truck. With my usual gear unless I'm getting a good multi I'm bleeding cash. As a person that isn't going to sell their loom points (my main weapon is only +1) I feel that I'm forced to wear crappy gear more often just to support my cash balance. And as a player that can be considered more casual than hardcore, that's a big turn off. The game is starting to get that second job feel to it.
If this is linked to Strategus, wouldn't it have been wiser to do it when Strategus was closer to release or when it came out? The veterans with millions won't feel burdened by this, its the new and casual players that have been given the shaft.