How to manually set VMWare keyboard mapping

"Although it references connecting remotely, try following this guide from VMware:

If your keyboard works correctly with a local X server, and you just want the same behavior with a remote X server (which is also an XFree86 server running on a PC), just power off the virtual machine and close the VMware Workstation window, then add the line

xkeymap.usekeycodeMapIfXFree86 = true

to the virtual machine configuration file or to ~/.vmware/config. Make this change on the host machine, where you run the virtual machine, not on the machine with the remote X server.

If you are using an XFree86-based server that VMware Workstation does not recognize as an XFree86 server, use this instead:

xkeymap.usekeycodeMap = true

There is also a more detailed explanation which suggests the following:

Using a text editor to add configuration settings to the virtual machine's configuration file.

xkeymap.usekeycodeMapIfXFree86 = true

Use key code mapping if you are using an XFree86 server, even if it is remote.

xkeymap.usekeycodeMap = true

Always use key code mapping regardless of server type.

xkeymap.nokeycodeMap = true

Never use key code mapping.

xkeymap.keycode.<code> = <v-scan code>

If using key code mapping, map key code <code> to <v-scan code>. In this example, <code> must be a decimal number and <v-scan code> should be a C-syntax hexadecimal number (for example, 0x001).

The easiest way to find the X key code for a key is to run xev or xmodmap -pk. Most of the v-scan codes are covered in V-Scan Code Table. The keysym mapping tables described in this section are also helpful."