Although the tiles are the same for all types of Mah Jongg it is the make up of the set and the number of tiles that differentiate the sets needed for each type of Mah Jongg you choose to play. Can you read the Chinese/Japanese characters or do you need the Western/Roman numbers to play? Some people prefer large tiles and some smaller tiles and using a rack. All sets contain 3 sets of suit tiles made up of dots or circles, bams or boos or bamboos, and lastly craks, cracks or characters. There are always 4 winds played - East, South, West and North and three dragons - Green, Red and White.
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Setting up for play differs depending on the type of Mah Jongg you have chosen as well. Japanese and Chinese Mah Jongg may not use racks which are required for playing American Mah Jongg. The standard play is for four people. Each variation requires the tiles to be mixed face down on the table and then built into four walls two rows high. In the Japanese version your wall will only have 17 tiles across because they use the fewest number of tiles while in the American version the wall is 18 tiles long. Each player assumes a seat and the positions are determined -East, South, West and North. Play begins by breaking the wall and dealing out the tiles so that all players have 13 tiles to start with the exception of East who starts with 14 tiles since their first move is to discard a tile to get the game going. Please refer to the different styles for further details on playing.
An example of what the table looks like before playing Japanese Mah Jongg.
This is actually how a Taiwanese game of Chinese Mah Jongg would be set up.
American Mah Jongg and how the table looks upon set up.