Addendum

The conventional method is to have uninvolved characters comment on how exciting the action is, but I'm not sure that does anything but pad. By "action sequence" we here mean "card duel" of course. Have you ever gone back and watched Yu-Gi-Oh? It's amazingly fast-paced till the ratings came in, and then began the age of milking.

Improving Action Sequences

Have you thought about imposing a clock? Fighting games and RTS do that all the time, and people keep playing those. Well, one of them.

Time Isn't Good for Much Else

A grand temple was constructed, by far the greatest in the world. After that, the people set about deciding what to do with it, since worship did not exist for the simple reason that gods had not been invented.
Realizing that, the people gathered together and said, "Wait, that doesn't make sense. We wouldn't have built a temple if there weren't any gods."
"That's right." The god of time stepped forward then. "But I sent you all back to the moment before we sprang into existence because I thought it would be funny. And I was right."
The people prayed to the god of time to return them, which he did, and the temple was consecrated to every god except the god of time. All the gods were greatly gratified, most of all the god of time who had gotten himself away from that temple made by and for total squares.
Finis

Proper Philosophy

Readers! Never forget that time is strictly linear, no matter what tricks scoundrels come up with to shake your conviction.

Incurable Mischief

Writers! Make sure to copy the first four pages of your book as the last four pages in reverse order so that people who flip to the end will learn about the cyclical nature of time.