Faolyn
(she/her)
Easy shortcut for you: treat 'em like they're all neutral evil.Unfortunately it looks like their stripping it even from individuals in the new books which to me is an over-reaction. For example I was just browsing Van Richten's guide and there are no alignments for the darklords. Now I have to read paragraphs of text to understand them. If I had alignment, it helps me set the tone for them. As the MM says "A monster’s alignment provides a clue to its disposition and how it behaves in a roleplaying or combat situation."
Let's face it: no matter what they claim, the Darklords are, one and all, doomed by their own hypocritical, egotistical, greedy, self-serving behaviors. They do whatever the heck they want but are also highly constrained by their own twisted moral code, the social mores of their domain, and their own insecurities.
Their actual alignments are not particularly helpful. Strahd has fairly strict code of ethics. He doesn't feed from people willy-nilly. The 3e Gazetteer says that he "defends his property zealously" and considers all of the people of Barovia to be his property. So while he doesn't care about their day-to-day lives, he is protective of them, if only to prevent others from stealing them from him. It goes on to say "A master of strategy, his plots are never as simple as they seem, and he hides his true motivation. Inhumanly patient, he is willing to outlive his enemies if necessary. He is ruthless at heart, however, and takes immediate advantage of any opportunity to crush a potential thread" and "Despite his personal power, Strahd is not rash and will not needlessly risk himself."
What do you think his official alignment in 3e is? The answer is "chaotic evil." Because people keep imagining that CE is the evilest of evils.