73, also called The B0aty Number, is an Old School RuneScape community in-joke born from a 2015 PvP death match where streamer Skill Specs killed rival B0aty with a single 73-damage hit right after B0aty bragged it could not happen. The number stuck around as shorthand for cosmic bad luck and killer timing inside the OSRS scene.
Origin
In 2015, Old School RuneScape streamers B0aty and Skill Specs squared off in a stream PvP death match[4]. On camera and mid-taunt, B0aty told viewers his opponent did not have the damage output to close out the fight, only for Skill Specs to land a 73 for the kill on the very next attack[1]. Skill Specs is heard bursting into laughter while B0aty reacts in disbelief off-mic[1].
Skill Specs uploaded the full fight from his point of view to YouTube on July 2nd, 2015[1].
- Platform: Twitch (live PvP fight) / YouTube (viral spread)
- Creator: Skill Specs and B0aty
- Date: 2015
Overview
73, sometimes called The B0aty Number, is an Old School RuneScape community running joke about the exact damage number Skill Specs hit on fellow streamer B0aty during a 2015 Twitch PvP death match[1]. B0aty had just told chat that his opponent could not possibly deal enough damage to finish him. One tick later, a 73 flashed above his head and he was dead[1].
The gag is basically the number itself. OSRS players drop 73 in chat, in Reddit thread titles, in clip captions, and in reply memes whenever someone eats a wildly unlucky hit or when the digits 73 show up in unrelated stats, price checks, or gambling flips[2]. It is less a template than a shibboleth, an inside marker that flags you as part of the 2007scape crowd[4].
How It Spread
Once the YouTube upload was out, the number attached itself to B0aty inside the r/2007scape subreddit, where players kept posting screenshots of 73-damage hits and Grand Exchange prices ending in 73 as a running callback to the fight[2]. Skill Specs was folded in as a secondary character in the bit, but the number was almost always tagged to B0aty[4].
The joke jumped off Reddit and onto Twitter too. On February 28th, 2017, user @YoungJilker posted a Big Man Tyrone edit chuckling over the number, and that tweet pulled in more than 12,000 views[3]. A later Twitter clip of the moment kept circulating in OSRS reply chains under the same 73 caption[5].
The fight also seeded a small genre of fan edits inside the RuneScape scene, from supercuts of 73s appearing in unrelated gameplay to remixes of Skill Specs' laugh over the B0aty audio[4]. The bit stayed niche outside OSRS but is a durable in-joke among Twitch and Twitter accounts that follow the game[2].
How to Use
Typical use is dead simple: reply with just "73" whenever someone in an OSRS context takes an absurdly unlucky hit, calls their shot right before losing, or when the number 73 shows up organically in a stat, price, or drop[2]. Common conventions include captioning clips of high-damage PvP kills with the number, editing a 73 splat over unrelated footage, or quoting B0aty's pre-death bravado before showing the outcome[4].
Frequently Asked Questions
What is 73 The B0Aty Number?
It is an Old School RuneScape in-joke built around the number 73, the damage Skill Specs dealt to kill streamer B0aty in a 2015 Twitch PvP match right after B0aty said it was impossible[1].
Where did 73 The B0Aty Number come from?
It came from a stream fight between OSRS streamers B0aty and Skill Specs in 2015, with Skill Specs uploading the point-of-view YouTube video on July 2nd, 2015[1].
What does 73 The B0Aty Number mean?
It is shorthand for cosmic bad luck and jinxing yourself, invoked whenever an OSRS player calls their shot and then immediately eats a huge hit, or when the digits 73 show up out of nowhere[2].
How do you use 73 The B0Aty Number?
OSRS fans typically drop "73" as a reply on Reddit or Twitter under clips of unlucky PvP kills, or edit a 73 hitsplat over gameplay footage as a callback to the original fight[2].
Is 73 The B0Aty Number still popular?
It is a classic OSRS community reference rather than a mainstream meme, kept alive inside the 2007scape subreddit and among RuneScape Twitch and Twitter accounts[2].
